1. Arthur Rothstein

BANK THAT FAILED, KANSAS

1936

The FSA project emphasized scenes from rural life and the negative impact the Great Depression, farm mechanization, and the Dust Bowl had on the people and way of life. How do the details of the photograph lend to the message that the bank is not successful?

2. Russell Lee

SAN JUAN, TEXAS

1939

What information does this photograph give us about living conditions? What kind of message do you think it sends to people in other parts of the country?

3. Walker Evans

TUSCALOOSA WRECKING COMPANY, TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA

1936

There are no notes for this image.

4. Jack Delano

UNTITLED PHOTOGRAPH

Unknown Date

What does this man’s expression tell us? Who is he? Does his clothing give us any clues?

5. Arthur Rothstein

BOY IN DOORWAY TO SHARECROPPER’S SHACK

ca. 1938

What can we tell about his boy from this picture? What kind of a place is he living in? How do you think he might feel? What visual details tell you so?

6. Arthur Rothstein

MIGRANT TO OREGON FROM SOUTH DAKOTA

1936

What is this man doing? What is he taking with him? What would you take with you if you had to move and could only pack one large bundle?

7. Arthur Rothstein

DUST STORM, CIMARRON COUNTY, OKLAHOMA

1936

What words would you use to describe the setting, house, and actions of the people in this photograph? How do you think this photograph appeared to people who lived in cities or other parts of the country?

8. Russell Lee

YOUNG BLACK GIRLS AT PLAY

ca. 1938

Why do you think a depression era photographer took this kind of picture? What kind of a message does this photograph give about the different living conditions of people from this time?

9. Arthur Rothstein

GARRETT COUNTY, MARYLAND

1936

Look at the expressions and body language of the people in this photograph. What can they tell you about how they are feeling? What can we tell about their environment from other clues in this image?

10. Arthur Rothstein

FARM LABOR UNION, GALENA, KANSAS

1938

Contrast this type of portrait with the image before it. Are the messages they send the same? How would you describe this group?

11. Carl Mydans

CINCINNATI, OHIO

1936

What types of possessions do the occupants of this house own or choose to display? Does this architectural structure look sturdy? Does this look like a safe place to live?

12. Arthur Rothstein

JOHN DUDEK, FARMER, DALTON, NY

1937

Does this person look like he was posed by the photographer? Pick details to support your answer. Why do you think the photographer has included this portrait of George Washington?

13. Arthur Rothstein

CATTLE SKULL, BAD LANDS SOUTH DAKOTA

1936

The photographer chose to put very few things in this picture to tell about the Depression. Describe the condition of the soil. Why do you think Rothstein included the skull? What might it be a symbol of?

14. Walker Evans

WESTCHESTER COUNTY (NEAR OSSINING)

1935

Look closely at the details of this and the next picture. Look at the size of the people in relation to the rest of the scene. Are they portraits of the people in them, or is there another story the photograph is trying to tell?

15. John Collier

G’PA ROWEND, TRAMPAS, NEW MEXICO

1943

There are no notes for this image.

16. Walker Evans

COAL MINER’S HOUSE

1935

What can we tell about the coal miner just from looking at his house and the objects in it? What might some of the objects be symbols of?

17. Arthur Rothstein

MRS. DODSON WITH ONE OF HER 9 CHILDREN, BLUE RIDGE MTS., VIRGINIA

1935

Is there anything we can tell about the way the Dodson family lives from this image?

18. Arthur Rothstein

DOCTOR WITH SICK CHILD, MARSHALLTOWN, IOWA

1939

Why do you think the photographer chose to show us this scene in the life of the family? What kind of mood does he create? What are some details you see that make it feel that way?

19. Dorothea Lange

THE BODY LAY THERE IN THE DOORWAY OF THE CHURCH THAT THE PEOPLE HAD BUILT

1938

Why do you think the photographer uses this title? What does it ask us to think about?

20. Arthur Rothstein

MISSISSIPPI RIVER FLOODS, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

1943

Here is one way to show the consequences of the flood. What might be some other ways to tell this story in a picture?

21. John Vachon

KEMPTON, WEST VIRGINIA

1939

What is behind this woman? What might this woman do for a living? farmer? mother? cook? banker? lawyer? doctor? sharecropper? migrant worker? Do you think she was posed by the photographer?

22. Arthur Rothstein

VERNON EVANS AND FAMILY ON HIGHWAY 10, MONTANA

1937

What do we know about the Evans family from this picture? Is this the kind of road we think of when we hear the word highway? What kind of a journey do you think it might be?

23. Walker Evans

STREET SCENE, VICKSBURG, MISS.

March 1936

What kind of a place is Vicksburg? What might it be like to be there? Use visual details to support your description.

24. Walker Evans

BURROUGHS FAMILY, HALE COUNTY, ALABAMA

1936

Why would a photographer include this kind of family portrait to tell a story about the Great Depression?

25. Walker Evans

PAUL'S RESTAURANT, NEW YORK CITY

1935

Does this restaurant look like it is open for business? What details support your answer? Why do you think Evans included a person on the steps?

26. Walker Evans

ROADSIDE STAND NEAR BIRMINGHAM

1936

How does this photograph fit into the story of the Great Depression?

27. Dorothea Lange

MAILBOXES NEAR MILLS, NEW MEXICO

1935

What environment is around these mailboxes? How do they look? Think about their purpose. What might they be a symbol of?

28. John Vachon

KEMPTON, WEST VIRGINIA

May 1939

Describe the boy’s facial expression. What type of structure is the boy standing against?

29. Walker Evans

TORN POSTER, TRURO, MASSACHUSETTS

1930

Motion pictures were a popular diversion during this era. Describe the condition of this movie poster. How long do you think it has been up?

30. Walker Evans

TRURO, MA

1931

What kind of a room is this? Who do you think is in the picture on the wall? What is the object next to the bed?

31. Dorothea Lange

HOE CULTURE, ALABAMA

1936

Describe this man’s hands, his clothing, the climate, and the soil in the background. What is this man’s profession? Why did Lange chose not to show his face?

32. Dorothea Lange

EX-SLAVE WITH LONG MEMORY, ALABAMA

1937

Describe the woman’s clothing, posture, facial expression, and location. How does the title add to the way we think about the image?

33. Dorothea Lange

KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

November 1938

Contrast the way of life of the person in the billboard with the people camped below it.

34. Dorothea Lange

DITCHED, STALLED AND STRANDED, SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

1935

Describe the facial expression of the man in the photograph. Does it go along with the title of the photograph?

35. Dorothea Lange

DAMAGED CHILD, SHACKTOWN, ELM GROVE, OKLAHOMA

1936

How do you think people from this time felt when they saw pictures of children like this one?

36. Dorothea Lange

WHITE ANGEL BREAD LINE, SAN FRANCISCO

1933

How does seeing the man’s face help tell the story in this picture? What does his facial expression and posture reveal? his clothing? his hands? What do you think it was like to wait on a bread line based on what you see here?

37. Dorothea Lange

MIGRANT MOTHER

1936

Describe the facial expression and gesture of the woman in this picture. What are her children doing? Describe the clothes the subjects are wearing. How close does the photographer bring us to this family? This is one of the most famous (or iconic), images of the Great Depression. Why do you think so many people responded to it?

38. Arthur Rothstein

SHARECROPPER'S WIFE AND CHILD, ARKANSAS

1935

Where are the people in this photograph? What is the mood of the photograph? What details set the mood?

39. Arthur Rothstein

GEE'S BEND, ALABAMA

1938

What does this girl’s poise and her facial expression tell you about her? What words would you use to describe the building she is in? What does its appearance tell you about her way of life?

40. Walker Evans

TIN BUILDING, ALABAMA

1936

What does the sign on the building tell you? Is the building most likely in use now?

41. Dorothea Lange

MIGRATORY COTTON PICKER

1940

What words would you use to describe the man’s gesture? What does the texture of the man’s skin tell you?

42. John Vachon

RIDING OUT TO BRING BACK CATTLE

1940

First Stages of Snow Blizzard

Describe this setting. Where does the road lead to? Where are the cattle? What information does this photograph give us about this way of life?

43. Marion Post Wolcott

WASHINGTON, D.C.

1941

Do you recognize the building that is barely visible in the background? How does it compare with the street scene in front?

44. Marion Post Wolcott

WOODSTOCK, VT

March 1940

What is the main subject in this photograph?

45. Marion Post Wolcott

MARINE, W. VA., WIFE OF AN UNEMPLOYED MINER

1938

Does the woman in this photograph look healthy?

46. Jack Delano

RAILROAD WORKER WHOSE JOB IT IS TO INSPECT JOURNAL BOXES, BRAKE SHOES, ETC. AND MAKE MINOR REPAIRS AT A CHICAGO AND NORTHWESTERN RAILROAD

December 1942

Hired by the U.S. government, the FSA photographers documented the Depression but with very different approaches. Here Delano gives us a human portrait of the worker in the photograph and his statistical data in the title.

47. Gordon Parks

MOTHER AND CHILDREN IN GHETTO APARTMENT

1942

Describe the space within the building they are occupying. What other details does this photograph give us about life in this apartment for this family?

48. Margaret Bourke-White

AT THE TIME OF THE LOUISVILLE FLOOD

1937

What are the people in this photograph doing? Do they seem to be aware of the photographer? Why do you think the photographer chose to show us this part of the line in front of this billboard?