Collection: CAN’T IMAGINE A MORE BEAUTIFUL THING: CORNFIELDS OF MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS, PHOTOGRAPHS 2023 TO 2026 —WM. STAGE

Wm. Stage is a journalist, author, and photographer with a focus on the history and culture of the Midwest and Saint Louis, Missouri. He is known for his documentary work on a bygone form of outdoor advertising, brick wall signs, and has three books on the subject. As of 2026, he has authored 16 books—fiction, non-fiction, and photography. His photographs have appeared in numerous books, both popular and scholarly, and have been purchased by private collectors. He is a former board member of The Society for Commercial Archaeology, based at the time in The Smithsonian. Here you see an interest in that ubiquitous crop that dominates our landscape: Corn. Please appreciate selected shots of young corn, mature pollinated corn, close-up, panoramic. Farmers harvesting their fields with combines and grain trucks, hauling tons of kernels to grain bins and grain elevators. Pure Midwest as seen through the lens of one who truly loves it.