Analyzing Photographs
from the Great Depression
Introductory slide about analyzing photos from 1930s Great Depression
Famous Migrant Mother Photo
Migrant Mother
Bread Line
Farmer and His Children
Unemployed Men
Black and white photo of a worried
looking woman with her eyes cast
down holding an infant while two
older children lean on her
shoulders.
Black and white photo of
hundreds of men in suits and hats
standing in a long line on a city
street waiting to get food.
Black and white photo of a farmer
holding his two young daughters
standing in front of their
makeshift tent home during a
dust storm on the plains.
Black and white photo of a group
of unemployed men in worn suits
and hats standing outside on a
city sidewalk looking for work.
Unemployed Men Waiting for Relief
Line of Men
Desperate Faces
Ragged Clothes
A black and white photo showing a long line of
men in coats and hats waiting outside.
A close up of the men's faces, showing worry,
fatigue, and desperation.
The men are dressed in worn, tattered
clothing, illustrating their poverty.
Farmer Hit Hard by Dust Bowl
Fleeing Dust Storm
Barren Fields
Dust Cloud
A black and white photo of a farmer holding a
young child while walking with two other
children during a dust storm.
A color photo of dry, cracked earth with dead
crops in a field during the Dust Bowl showing
the environmental impacts.
A black and white photo of a massive wall of
dust blowing across a farm and approaching a
house, demonstrating the scale of dust storms.
Hobo Riding the Rails
Hobo riding a f reight train
Hobo cooking over a fire
Hobo jungle camp
A black and white photo of a hobo sitting on
the side of a moving freight train looking down
the tracks.
A hobo cooking a small meal over an open fire
beside railroad tracks, using old cans and
pieces of wood for fuel.
A temporary camp in a forest clearing with
lean-to shelters and tents made from scraps
where hobos would stay between catching
rides on trains.
Boys Shining Shoes
Young Boy Shining Shoes
Children Working as Shoe Shiners
Shoeshine Boy Smoking Cigarette
A young African American boy, no older than 10,
shines the shoes of a white man on the street.
Two more African American boys work
together shining shoes on a city sidewalk,
evidencing child labor during economic
hardship.
An African American boy smokes a cigarette
while pausing from shining shoes, depicting
unhealthy child labor practices.
Soup Kitchen Line
Breadline during the Great Depression
Black and white photo of dozens of men
standing in line on a city sidewalk, waiting to
receive food rations.
Soup kitchen line during the Great
Depression
Unemployed men lined up to get f ree
food
Black and white photo of a soup kitchen with a
long line of people waiting outside to be
served a meal.
Black and white photo of unemployed men in
coats and hats waiting in a long line to receive
food handouts during the economic
depression in the 1930s.
Evicted Family
Evicted Family 1
Evicted Family 2
Evicted Family 3
A family's dining table, chairs, cabinets and
other furniture piled on the sidewalk outside
an apartment building.
A woman sitting on a rocking chair holding a
baby, surrounded by furniture on the sidewalk,
looking distressed.
A man and two young children sitting on
mattresses next to a pile of furniture on the
sidewalk, their faces downcast.
Foreclosure Auction
Auctioneer calling
bids
An auctioneer stands
on the steps of a
house calling out bids
from the crowd
gathered below.
Crowd bidding
Foreclosed home
A large crowd has
gathered on the
street and lawn in
front of the foreclosed
home, bidding on the
property.
A modest single
family home with a
'For Sale' sign in the
yard where the
foreclosure auction is
taking place.
People inspecting
home
Prospective buyers
walk through the
foreclosed property,
inspecting it before
placing bids at the
auction outside.
Foreclosure sign
Moving truck
A real estate agent
has placed a large
'Foreclosure Auction'
sign in the front yard
of the property up for
auction.
A moving truck is
parked in the
driveway of the
foreclosed home, as
the previous owners
move out after losing
the property.
Destitute Family
Poor Family Portrait
Empty Kitchen
Unemployed Father
A black and white photo of a dirty, disheveled
family of 5 dressed in torn, tattered clothing
sitting together on a wooden porch.
A black and white photo looking into an empty
kitchen with open cabinets showing no food or
dishes inside.
A black and white portrait of an unemployed
father sitting on a street corner holding a sign
asking for work.
Unemployed Men
Broke and Hungry
Idle Hands
Jobless
A photo of disheveled men lining up at a soup
kitchen, waiting for food.
A black and white image of unemployed men
sitting on the sidewalk against a building,
looking idle and dejected.
A somber scene of men in worn-out clothes
waiting outside an employment office, hoping
to find work.