Wednesday, September 1, 2010

juke joints and hay stacks




These images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. The photographs are the property of the Library of Congress and were included in an exhibit Bound for Glory: America in Color.  


 And there are so many, many more photos that have been reproduced from color slides.


When mom saw these she said it looked just like her childhood.  I felt like I just stumbled on an amazing treasure trove of visual inspiration.  And someone in the comments section of the Post wrote that these photos put a face to stories he'd heard all his life.


Fascinating to imagine these lives.

1 comment:

Marion Williams-Bennett said...

All of these photos seem to have an energy and a sense of purpose about them. The Brockton Enterprise photo comes from a town near me - the town right now is so depressed, yet I look at the photo of the depression, with men in hats and think they survived that, maybe we still have hope!

Wonderful photos, thank you Molly!