Images of Depression-era Louisiana: the FSA photographs of Ben Shahn, Russell Lee, and Marion Post Wolcott

Abstract

In the 1930s, the U.S. government famously sent photographers across the country to document on film the need for federal assistance in rural areas. Dorothea Lange?s well-known image Migrant Mother came from this effort, along with thousands of other photographs. Ben Shahn, Russell Lee, and Marion Post Wolcott contributed to this compelling body of images. As primary photographers for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) in the state of Louisiana, the three took more than 2,600 photographs, recording the modest homes, family gatherings, and working lives of citizens across the state. In Images of Depression-Era Louisiana, Bryan Giemza and Maria Hebert-Leiter curate more than 150 of those photographs, offering a riveting collection that captures this pivotal time in Louisiana?s history.

Contents

Introduction: The making of visual history -- The photographers' travels : map and itineraries in Louisiana -- The FSA photographs of Ben Shahn, Russell Lee, and Marion Post Wolcott -- Appendix: Case file transcriptions -- Index of names and places -- Gallery of images.