GETTY IMAGES
1938 MAKING HAY
In an unlikely juxtaposition against the London skyline, barges laden with bales are unloaded on the Thames near Westminster Bridge. While, in previous eras, similar boats would bring vast quantities of hay into the capital to service the thousands of horses trudging the city’s streets, this cargo is altogether more precious. Esparto grass, imported from southern Europe and North Africa, was used to make bank notes.