Farm Security Administration Collection (#3)

ILLINOIS: GROCERY STORE. A grocery store in Salem, Illinois. Photograph, 1940, Arthur Rothstein

BURLINGTON ZEPHYR, 1940. Awaiting the arrival of the Burlington Zephyr in East Dubuque, Illinois. Photograph, 1940, by John Vachon

MEXICAN WORKER, 1937. A Mexican sugar beet worker near Fisher, Minnesota. Photograph, 1937, by Russell Lee

MIGRANT MOTHER. A mother holding her baby in front of her shack in the rural South during the 1930s

LEMENTARY SCHOOL, 1937. An elementary classroom for migrant children at Skyline Farms, Alabama. Oil over photograph by Arthur Rothstein, February, 1937

STREETSIDE GAMES, 1938. Streetside games in New York City. Photographed by Walker Evans in 1938

OHIO: LUNCHEONETTE, 1938. The luncheonette at Buckeye Lake Amusement Park, Ohio. Oil over a photograph by Ben Shahn, 1938

AUTOMOBILE DUMP, 1935. A car dump near Easton, Pennsylvania. Photograph by Walker Evans, November 1935

SCHOOLCHILDREN, 1941. The farm workers camp in Caldwell, Idaho, photographed by Russell Lee

REVIVAL MEETING, 1938. A revival meeting in a garage at Dos Palos, California. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, 1938

TEXAS: FARMHOUSE, 1938. An abandoned farmhouse on a Texas farm. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, 1938

FARMHOUSE, 1940. An abandoned farmhouse in Ward County, North Dakota. Photograph by John Vachon, 1940

HAIRCUTTING, 1939. Young men cutting each others hair in front of Mileston Plantation in Mississippi after getting paid on a Saturday, 1939. Photographed by Marion Post Wolcott

COAL MINER & MULE 1940. A coal miner and his mule near Penfield, Pennsylvania. Photograph, c1940, by Jack Delano

SHARECROPPER, 1941. A tenant farmer plows sweet potatoes, Greene County, Georgia. Photograph, 1941, by Jack Delano

TIRE CHANGING, 1940. Photographer Marion Post Wolcott changing a flat tire on a borrowed car, while on assignment along the Kentucky River. Photograph, 1940

MOTHER AND CHILD, 1935. Mother and child from a destitute family in the Ozark Mountains, Arkansas: photographed, 1935, by Ben Shahn

SALVATION ARMY, 1939. Power of the Lord preaching by a soldier saved twelve years before, and with army ever since. Salvation Army, San Francisco, California. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, April 1939

SALVATION ARMY, 1939. Salvation Army street band, San Francisco, California. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, April 1939

ACCORDION PLAYER, 1939. Salvation Army street band, San Francisco, California. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, April 1939

WASHINGTON SLUM, 1937. Men sitting in front of a house in a slum district, Washington, D.C. Photograph by John Vachon in April, 1937

MIGRANT WORKERS, 1941. African American couple standing in front of their run down home, Puerto Rico. Photograph, December, 1941 by Jack Delano

MIGRANT WORKER, 1941. African American migrant worker working in cabbage patch, Puerto Rico. Photograph, December, 1941 by Jack Delano

RUN DOWN FARMHOUSE, 1938. Two African American children, one with deformed legs caused by rickets, walking in front of a run down farmhouse on badly eroded land near Wadesboro, North Carolina

MAN ON PORCH, 1936. Old Age. Old man taking a nap on the dilapidated porch of a run down home, Washington, Pennsylvania. Photograph, July, 1936 by Dorothea Lange

MISSISSIPPI: CHILD, 1935. African American child standing in front of a badly rundown house in Natchez, Mississippi. Photograph, October, 1935 by Ben Shahn

PITTSBURGH SLUM, 1938. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein in July, 1938

MIGRANT CHILDREN, 1936. African American children sitting on porch of a migrant workers farmhouse in the Mississippi Delta region. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, July 1936

MIGRANT WORKER, 1935. Migrant women looking at a map for a route to California from Oklahoma. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, 1935

MIGRANT WORKER, 1935. Migrant women standing in doorway of the shack at a camp for migrant workers, Imperial Valley, California. Photograph, 1935 by Dorothea Lange

MIGRANT WORKERS, 1935. Pea pickers from Vermont living at squatters camp and working on an automobile parked in front of a tent in a grove of eucalyptus trees at Nipomo, California

MIGRANT WORKER, 1935. Migrant worker on a California highway. Photograph, 1935 by Dorothea Lange

MIGRANT FAMILY, 1935. Drought refugees from Oklahoma looking for work in the pea fields of California. Photograph, March 1935

MIGRANT CHILDREN, 1939. Impovished migrant workers children in Belle Glade, Florida. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, February 1939

MIGRANT WORKER, 1937. Mexican field workers home on the edge of a frozen pea field, Imperial Valley, California. Photograph, March 1937 by Dorothea Lange

MIGRANT LABOR CAMP, 1935. A man preparing a meal in a run down camp for migrant workers on the outskirts of Marysville, California. Photograph, April 1935 by Dorothea Lange

MIGRANT CAMP, 1939. Family from Oklahoma with eleven children. Father, eldest daughter and eldest son working during pea harvest, Imperial County, California

HOBO WORKER, 1938. A homeless man on a road in Californias Napa Valley, traveling on foot between mining, lumbering, and farming jobs. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, 1938

MIGRANT WORKERS, 1939. Line of vegetable workers waiting after work to be paid, near Homestead, Florida. Photograph, 1939 by Marion Post Wolcott

MIGRANT WORKERS, 1935. Vegetable workers waiting after work to be paid, near Homestead, Florida. Photograph, 1935 by Marion Post Wolcott

MIGRANT WORKERS, 1935. A family of migrant workers in California. Photograph, 1935 by Dorothea Lange

MIGRANT FAMILY, 1937. Part of the family of a migrant fruit worker from Tennessee, camped near the packinghouse in Winter Haven, Florida. Photograph, January 1937 by Arthur Rothstein

SQUATTER CAMP, 1935. Squatter camper of migrant farmers in California. Photograph, 1935 by Dorothea Lange

SQUATTER CAMP, 1935. Squatter camp of migrant farmers in California. Photograph, 1935 by Dorothea Lange

SQUATTER CAMP, 1935. Squatter shelter of migrant farmers in California. Photograph, 1935 by Dorothea Lange

SQUATTER SHELTER, 1935. Squatter shelter of migrant farmers in California. Photograph, 1935 by Dorothea Lange

AUTOMOBILE, 1939. Detail of an automobile of a migrant family, with a sack of salt on the running board and leather-laced tires. Photograph, June 1939, at Fort Gibson Oklahoma Administration

SQUATTER CAMP, 1935. Squatter shelter of a group of migrant farmers in Indio, California. Photograph, March 1935 by Dorothea Lange

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"Capturing the Struggles and Resilience: The Farm Security Administration" The Farm Security Administration (FSA) played a crucial role in documenting the hardships faced by Americans during the Great Depression. Through powerful photographs, such as Dorothea Lange's iconic "Migrant Mother, " we are transported to a camp for migrant workers in Nipomo, California, where Florence Thompson and her seven children epitomize the resilience of those seeking better lives. In 1936, Arthur Rothstein's lens captured a haunting image of a dust storm engulfing the Texas panhandle—a stark reminder of the devastating impact of drought on farmers' livelihoods. Meanwhile, coal miners sitting in a mining car in West Virginia symbolize both their arduous labor and their contribution to powering America. The FSA also shed light on environmental challenges like drought and grasshoppers through images like that of a man fleeing these calamities in Montana. Similarly, African American migrant workers' shacks in Belle Glade, Florida—photographed by Russell Lee—highlighted racial inequalities prevalent at that time. Bud Fields and his family from Hale County, Alabama became symbols of sharecroppers struggling to make ends meet amidst economic hardship. A field filled with Burley tobacco serves as an example of agricultural practices during this era while Francis Grose's portrait represents one individual among many affected by these circumstances. Furthermore, an image capturing a farmer opening gates to allow water into fields from irrigation ditches showcases efforts made towards sustainable farming practices even during challenging times. Coal miner's child using a hole in the door to enter depicts how adversity seeped into every aspect of life for working-class families. Even Christmas Day was not spared from poverty; Earl Pauley's home in Smithfield, Iowa witnessed meager celebrations with potatoes, cabbage, and pie being served as dinner—an enduring testament to resourcefulness amidst scarcity.