The Great Depression. Now In Color

Posted on December 13, 2005

“Negro boy near Cincinnati, Ohio.” Photo 1944 by John Vachon.
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection, LC-DIG-fsac-1a34281 DLC.

Over at the Library of Congress they’ve posted a fascinating collection of photos from the Great Depression-World War 2 era.

What makes these photos so interesting is that they’re in color. How many color pictures have you seen from this era before? Almost every picture I’ve ever seen from Depression days was black and white.

It’s amazing how much more of a connection you get with the subjects of the photos — since the photographers were from the Farm Security Administration, they document vividly the stark conditions of the era when the Dust Bowl threatened to swallow middle America whole.

The photos are also currently on display at the Library. I’m gonna have to stop by there sometime and see the exhibit. But thanks to the magic of the Web you can experience it even if you live on the other side of the world from Washington, DC.