Farm Security Administration Collection (#6)

Emergency war housing, 1945 C014 / 0455
Emergency war housing. Prefabricated housing model at Scott Circle, Washington DC, USA, during the Second World War. Plans from March 1945 were to ship 30

Patent medicine salesman, 1939 C014 / 8752
Patent medicine salesman (right) with a feathered headdress, showing remedies to US workers outside a tobacco warehouse where farming auction sales are being held

Machine gun production, World War II. Irish female worker using a lathe to produce a Bren light machine gun at a munitions factory

Mercury gold panning extraction, 1940 C016 / 4591
Mercury gold panning extraction. Close-up of a gold prospector pouring mercury from a small tube into a pan which contains flour gold mixed with water and soil

Street scene in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Photograph by Walker Evans in 1935
PENNSYLVANIA: BETHLEHEM. Street scene in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Photograph by Walker Evans in 1935

Men sitting at a table with cold drinks in a cafe at Vale, Oregon. Photograph by Russell Lee, 1941
SMALL TOWN CAFE, 1941. Men sitting at a table with cold drinks in a cafe at Vale, Oregon. Photograph by Russell Lee, 1941

THANKSGIVING, 1940. Thanksgiving Day at Ledyard, Connecticut. Photograph, 1940, by Jack Delano

The luncheonette at Buckeye Lake Amusement Park, Ohio. Photograph by Ben Shahn, 1938
OHIO: LUNCHEONETTE, 1938. The luncheonette at Buckeye Lake Amusement Park, Ohio. Photograph by Ben Shahn, 1938

A soda jerk at a soda fountain in Corpus Christi, Texas. Photographed by Russell Lee in 1939
SODA JERK, 1939. A soda jerk at a soda fountain in Corpus Christi, Texas. Photographed by Russell Lee in 1939

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, 1936. A banner for Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John Nance Garner for President and Vice President at Harwick, Vermont. Oil over a photograph, September 1936, by Carl Mydans

SODA JERK, 1939. A soda jerk at a soda fountain in Corpus Christi, Texas. Oil over a photograph taken, 1939, by Russell Lee

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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.