Ben Shahn's American scene: photographs, 1938

Abstract

The paintings, murals, and graphics of Ben Shahn have made him one of the most heralded American artists of the 20th century, but during the 1930s he was among the America's premier photographers. This book presents 100 photographs from his most ambitious FSA project, a study of small-town life in the Depression.

Contents

"The American institution SMALL TOWN" -- Photographing Ohio -- The two sides of the tracks -- Seeing Main Street -- Sidewalks -- Public and religious institutions -- Modernity and tradition -- The visible and invisible Poor -- "We cater to Whites Only" -- Shahn's negative capability.