Photographers Farm Security Administration

eleven photographers come work on project (listed in order in hired): arthur rothstein, theo jung, ben shahn, walker evans, dorothea lange, carl mydans, russell lee, marion post wolcott, jack delano, john vachon, , john collier. these eleven photographers played significant role, not in producing images project, in molding resulting images in final project through conversations held between group members. photographers produced images breathed humanistic social visual catalyst of sort found in novels, theatrical productions , music of time. images regarded national treasure in united states; why project regarded work of art.

photograph of chicago s rail yards jack delano, ca. 1943

together john steinbeck s grapes of wrath (not government project) , documentary prose (for example walker evans , james agee s let praise famous men), fsa photography project responsible creating image of depression in united states. many of images appeared in popular magazines. photographers under instruction washington overall impression new deal wanted portray. stryker s agenda focused on faith in social engineering, poor conditions among tenant cotton farmers, , poor conditions among migrant farm workers; above committed social reform through new deal intervention in people s lives. stryker demanded photographs related people land , vice versa because these photographs reinforced ra s position poverty controlled changing land practices. though stryker did not dictate photographers how should compose shots, did send them lists of desirable themes, example, church, court day, barns. stryker sought photographs of migratory workers tell story how lived day-to-day. asked dorothea lange emphasize cooking, sleeping, praying , socializing. ra-fsa made 250,000 images of rural poverty. fewer half of images survive , housed in prints , photographs division of library of congress. library has placed 164,000 developed negatives online. these 77,000 different finished photographic prints made press, plus 644 color images 1600 negatives.