Photo Gallery
In April 1936 a young photographer named Arthur Rothstein showed up in Boise City to take photographs for the federal government's Resettlement Administration.
Rothstein's boss, Roy Stryker, believed that pictures could be a powerful tool to show not only the multitude of problems the nation was facing, but what the government was doing about them.
Over the course of seven years, as the agency became part of the Farm Security Administration, Stryker would launch an unprecedented documentary effort, eventually amassing more than 200,000 images of America in the 1930s taken by a talented cadre of photographers, including Walker Evans, Russell Lee, Marion Post Walcott, John Vachon, and Dorothea Lange.
Click on the thumbnail images below to view the full photos.
Video about the FSA photographers
- All
- Dorothea
Lange - Arthur
Rothstein - Russell
Lee - John
Vachon - Walker
Evans - Marion Post
Wolcott - Carl
Mydans - Jack
Delano
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Dorothea Lange
Woman with small children. California. 1936.
Woman standing outside wooden shack with two small children and baby. Tulare County, California. 1936.
Credits: Dorothea Lange; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Arthur Rothstein
Sand Dunes. Oklahoma Panhandle. 1936.
The fine dirt lifted by the dust storms and blown by the winds scraped some fields to hardpan and created dunes wherever there were eddies in the wind. Oklahoma Panhandle, 1936.
Credits: Arthur Rothstein; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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John Vachon
A migrant woman and child. Kansas. 1938.
A migrant womann and small child. Oskaloosa, Kansas. October 1938.
Credits: John Vachon; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Arthur Rothstein
A farmer shows how high the wheat should be. North Dakota. July 1936.
A farmer holds out his hand to represent how high the wheat should be in a field. Grant County, North Dakota. July 1936.
Credits: Arthur Rothstein; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Arthur Rothstein
Farmer and sons in dust storm, Oklahoma, 1936.
Farmer and sons in dust storm, Oklahoma, 1936.
Credits: Arthur Rothstein; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Russell Lee
Migrant boys in auto. Oklahoma. June 1939.
Migrant boys in back of auto. Muskogee County, Oklahoma. June 1939.
Credits: Russell Lee; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Dorothea Lange
Migrant family on road. Oklahoma. June 1938.
Migrant family walking on road, pulling belongings in carts and wagons. Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. June 1938.
Credits: Dorothea Lange; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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John Vachon
Farmer inspecting soil. Iowa. May 1940.
Farmer inspecting soil next to planter pulled by horses in field. Jasper County, Iowa. May 1940.
Credits: John Vachon; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Russell Lee
Men talking. Texas. May 1939.
Men talking. Weatherford, Texas. May 1939.
Credits: Russell Lee; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Dorothea Lange
Migrant man and children. California. February 1939.
Migrant man and four children looking out from tent in migrant camp. Brawley, California. February 1939.
Credits: Dorothea Lange; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Arthur Rothstein
A car chased by a "black blizzard". Texas Panhandle. March 1936.
A car is chased by a "black blizzard" in the Texas Panhandle, March 1936.
Credits: Arthur Rothstein; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Russell Lee
Women and children socializing. New Mexico. June 1940.
Women and children socializing outside wooden house. Pie Town, New Mexico. June 1940.
Credits: Russell Lee; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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John Vachon
Migrant couple. Michigan. July 1940.
Migrant couple sitting on running board of auto. Berrien County, Michigan. July 1940.
Credits: John Vachon; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Arthur Rothstein
A young boy in dust storm. Oklahoma. April 1936.
A young boy covers his mouth during a dust storm on farm. Cimarron County, Oklahoma. April 1936.
Credits: Arthur Rothstein; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Walker Evans
Tenant farmer family. Alabama. 1936.
Tenant farmer family. Hale County, Alabama. 1936.
Credits: Walker Evans; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Russell Lee
A government official talking to farmers. Kansas. August 1939.
A government official talking to two farmers. Gray County, Kansas. August 1939.
Credits: Russell Lee; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Russell Lee
Government sign promoting land terracing. Texas. April 1939.
Government sign promoting land terracing to prevent erosion. Taylor, Texas. April 1939.
Credits: Russell Lee; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Arthur Rothstein
FDR talking to farmer and boy. North Dakota. August 1936.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sitting in auto, talking to farmer and boy. Mandan, North Dakota. August 1936.
Credits: Arthur Rothstein; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Dorothea Lange
Florence Thompson and her children. California. March 1936.
Florence Thompson and her children in a pea pickers' camp. Nipomo, California. March 1936.
Credits: Dorothea Lange; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Dorothea Lange
Woman with children in a tent. California. 1936.
Migrant Mother series. Woman with children in a tent. Nipomo, California. 1936.
Credits: Dorothea Lange; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Arthur Rothstein
Woman and child looking through window. New York. December 1939.
Woman and child looking through window in house. Oswego, New York. December 1939.
Credits: Arthur Rothstein; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Dorothea Lange
Migrant woman with children. California. May 1937.
Migrant woman with five children. Auto in background. On road near Fresno, California. May 1937.
Credits: Dorothea Lange; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Dorothea Lange
Abandoned farm north of Dalhart, Texas. 1938.
Abandoned farm north of Dalhart, Texas. 1938.
Credits: Dorothea Lange; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Marion Post Wolcott
Children on porch. West Virginia. September 1938.
Children on porch, leaning on railing. Pursglove, West Virginia. September 1938.
Credits: Marion Post Wolcott; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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John Vachon
Migrant boy looking out of auto window. Michigan. July 1940.
Migrant boy looking out of back window of auto. Berrien County, Michigan. July 1940.
Credits: John Vachon; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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John Vachon
Landscape with large rain clouds. Texas. May 1943.
Landscape with large rain clouds looming over farm buildings in the middle of a field. Victoria County, Texas. May 1943.
Credits: John Vachon; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Russell Lee
Migrant man working on headlight. Muskogee, Oklahoma. July 1939.
Migrant man working on headlight of auto. Muskogee, Oklahoma. July 1939.
Credits: Russell Lee; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Russell Lee
Men at a stock auction. Texas. March 1940.
Men at a stock auction. San Angelo, Texas. March 1940.
Credits: Russell Lee; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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John Vachon
Migrant man looking up at billboard. Iowa. April 1940.
Migrant man looking up at billboard. Dubuque, Iowa. April 1940.
Credits: John Vachon; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Carl Mydans
Migrant man and woman. Arkansas. May 1936.
Migrant man and woman walking along road. Crittenden County, Arkansas. May 1936.
Credits: Carl Mydans; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Dorothea Lange
Migrants waiting for relief checks. California. February 1937.
A group of migrants waiting for relief checks outside of building. Calipatria, California. February 1937.
Credits: Dorothea Lange; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Russell Lee
Farmer feeding pigs. Colorado. September 1939.
Farmer pouring feed into trough for pigs, windmill and farm buildings in background. Baca County, Colorado. September 1939.
Credits: Russell Lee; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Arthur Rothstein
Farmers harvesting grain. Colorado. October 1939.
Two farmers harvesting grain with farm equipment. Costilla County, Colorado. October 1939.
Credits: Arthur Rothstein; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Dorothea Lange
Abandoned farm with windmill. Texas. June 1938.
Abandoned farm with windmill and farm equipment. Dalhart, Texas. June 1938.
Credits: Dorothea Lange; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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Jack Delano
Unemployed men. Alabama. Undated.
Unemployed men outside of stores in town. Childersburg, Alabama. Undated.
Credits: Jack Delano; The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
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