Farm Security Administration Collection (#5)

MIGRANT CAMP, 1939. A laundry unit at a mobile camp for migrant workers in Merrill, Klamath County, Oregon. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, October 1939

ROADSIDE CAMP, 1939. Migrant worker playing his guitar at a roadside camp for migrant workers, Lincoln County, Oklahoma. Photograph by Russell Lee, 1939

COTTON PICKERS, 1937. Cotton hoers in Memphis, Tennessee, preparing to depart for a days work in Arkansas. Photographed by Dorothea Lange, June 1937

MIGRANT WORKER, 1930s. Migrant strawberry picker in Berrien County, Michigan: photographed by John Vachon in the 1930s

MIGRANT MOTHER, c1930. A mother holding her baby in front of her shack in the rural South. Photograph, c1930

MIGRANT MOTHER, c1930 s. An impoverished mother with her eight young children in the rural South during the 1930s

STILL OWNER, c1939. The owner of a turpentine still in Stateline, Mississippi. Photograph, c1939

BERRY PICKERS, 1940. Berry Pickers from Arkansas working in Berrien County, Michigan. Photographed by John Vachon, 1940

FAMILY DINING, 1939. A new rehabilitation family dining on biscuits, bread and cake in Coffee County, Alabama, 1939

DUST BOWL, c1936. Abandoned farm with equipment that destroyed the naturally rich grazing land at Mills, New Mexico. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, May 1935

DUST BOWL, 1936. Farm boy in the dust bowl area of Cimarron County, Oklahoma. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein, April 1936

MIGRANT WORKER, 1940. A migrant worker in the windowless cabin where she lives with her husband in Berrien County, Michigan, July 1940

SHARECROPPER, 1938. An African American sharecropper grades and sorts cured tobacco leaves on his cabin porch prior to auction, near Douglas, Georgia. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, July 1938

SOUTHERN SHACK, c1930. A scene in the rural South. Photograph, c1930

MIGRANT WORKERS, 1936. Migrant workers on the road in Crittenden County, Arkansas. Photographed by Carl Mydans, 1936

HITCHHIKERS, 1937. Two hitchhikers on their way to Los Angeles, California. Beside them, a billboard for Southern Pacific reads, Next Time Try The Train, Relax

DEPRESSION & DROUGHT, 1938. Main Street at Caddo, Oklahoma, a town suffering from the Depression and from the drought in the surrounding farmlands. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, 1938

MIGRANT FARM WORKERS. Florence Thompson, a 32-year-old migrant worker, photographed with her children in Nipomo, California. Photograph part of the Migrant Mother series by Dorothea Lange, 1936

CLOSED BANK, 1939. A closed bank at Haverill, Iowa. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein, September 1939

MIGRANT FAMILY, 1936. A mother and children at a migrant worker camp on U.S. 70 near the Tennessee River. Photographed in March 1936 by Carl Mydans

TEXAS FAMILY, 1936. A Texas family on their way to the cotton fields of the Arkansas Delta. Photograph, August, 1936 by Dorothea Lange

MIGRANT WORKERS, 1936. Migrant workers arriving in California from drought-striken Texas. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, 1936

FIDDLERS, 1937. Playing the fiddle to the tune of The Arkansas Traveler. Photograph by Russell Lee, 1937

OZARK CHILDREN, 1940. Impovished children of a farmer in the Ozarks, Missouri. Photograph by John Vachon, 1940

COMMUNITY SING, 1940. Three members of ladies quintette at a community sing at Pie Town, New Mexico. Photograph, 1940, by Russell Lee

One-room schoolhouse at Breathitt County, Kentucky. Photograph, 1940, by Marion Post Wolcott
ONE-ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE. One-room schoolhouse at Breathitt County, Kentucky. Photograph, 1940, by Marion Post Wolcott

MIGRANT WORKER, 1940. A migrant workering for a neighbor planting tobacco at Durham, North Carolina. Photograph, 1940, by Jack Delano

CATTLE AUCTION, 1940. Cattlemen at auction of prize beef steers and breeding stock at San Angelo, Texas. Photograph, 1940, by Russell Lee

BAPTISM, 1940. Baptismal service at Morehead, Kentucky. Photograph, 1940, by Marion Post Wolcott

COMMUNITY SING, 1940. At an all-day community sing at Pie Town, New Mexico. Photograph, 1940, by Russell Lee

ILLINOIS: GROCERY STORE. A grocery store in Salem, Illinois. Oil over a photograph, 1940, by Arthur Rothstein

BURLINGTON ZEPHYR, 1940. Awaiting the arrival of the Burlington Zephyr in East Dubuque, Illinois: oil over a photograph, 1940, by John Vachon

TEENAGE SHARECROPPER. Thirteen-year-old sharecropper boy near Americus, Georgia. Oil over a photograph by Dorothea Lange, 1937

MN: MEXICAN WORKER, 1937. A Mexican sugar beet worker near Fisher, Minnesota. Oil over a photograph, 1937, by Russell Lee

ARKANSAS MOTHER, 1935. Mother and child from an Ozark Mountains, Arkansas family. Oil over a photograph taken, 1935, by Ben Shahn

MEXICAN CHILDREN, 1939. Mexican children at home in San Antonio, Texas. Photographed by Russell Lee in 1939

BERRY PICKERS, 1940. Berry pickers from Arkansas working in Berrien county, Michigan: oil over a photograph by John Vachon, 1940

ONE-ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE. One-room schoolhouse at Breathitt County, Kentucky. Oil over photograph, 1940, by Marion Post Wolcott

MIGRANT FAMILY, 1936. Florence Thompson, a 32-year-old migrant worker, with her children at a migrant workers camp in Nipomo, California. Oil over a photograph by Dorothea Lange, March 1936

FAMILY: SUPPER, 1941. A family saying grace before afternoon supper at home in Carroll County, Georgia: oil over a photograph, 1941, by Jack Delano

Dorothea Lange, Resettlement Administration photographer, 1936 (b / w photo)
XOS1249072 Dorothea Lange, Resettlement Administration photographer, 1936 (b/w photo) by American Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Liberty cargo ship convoy, 1940s C014 / 0525
Liberty cargo ships in a convoy at sea during the Second World War (1939-1945). These cargo ships were built by the USA to replace wartime losses in the merchant fleets of the Allied nations

Sheepherder filling water bag, 1939
Sheepherder filling water bag, Rosebud County, Montana, USA. Photographed in June 1939 by photographer Arthur Rothstein (1915-1985)

Refrigerating crates of oranges, 1940s C014 / 0534
Refrigerating crates of oranges. Worker loading oranges into a refrigerator railway car at a co-operative orange packing factory, Redlands, California, USA

Military fingerprinting, 1930s C014 / 0461
Military fingerprinting. Uniformed man taking fingerprints during the 1930s. The ridges on the skin of human fingertips, a distinct and unique pattern

Evicted sharecropper farmers, 1939 C014 / 0519
Evicted sharecropper farmers. Tents and vehicles of sharecroppers that have been evicted from farms in Missouri, USA, in January 1939

VE Day crowd, London, 1945 C014 / 2066
VE Day crowd. Large crowds gathered in London, UK, on 8 May 1945 to celebrate the end of hostilities in Europe during the Second World War

Refrigerator, 1940s C014 / 0468
Refrigerator. Woman demonstrating proper use of a refrigerator in the USA in the 1940s as part of a public information photo-shoot

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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.