Photography in the Great Depression

an 11th grade art lesson to be used when teaching the Great Depression

Instagram... what is it?

Instagram + the Great Depression

If people used Instagram during this era... what images would you have seen?

What makes a good picture?

• We all have ideas of what makes a good picture...

• How do we analyze an image and determine it is "good"?

Elements of Photography

There are several elements of photography...

What is an element?

Merriam-Webster defines "element" as...

a constituent parta plural : the simplest principles of a subject of study

Composition

• The way things are arranged in the photo

Pattern/Texture

Line

• Lines are what moves your eyes around a photoo A photo with interesting

lines engages your viewer!

Light

• Fundamental elements that illuminates subject

Color

• Different colors affect different emotions• Some people say color can distract people

from the subject/mood of the image

Viewpoint

• Viewpoint has a massive impact on the composition of our photo

• Can greatly affect the message conveyed o consider photographing

from high above, down at ground level, from the side, from the back, from a long way away, from very close up, and so on.

Depth

• It can isolate a subject from its background and foreground

• Or it can put the same subject in context by revealing it’s surroundings

Framing

• Framing allows you to isolate main subject in an image.

• Draws your eye naturally to the main point of interest

Elements

Review.... What is?

• Composition

• Pattern

• Line

• Light

• Color

• Viewpoint

• Depth

• Framing

Photographers of the Great Depression

• Dorothea Lange

• Walter Evans

• Arthur Rothstein

Dorothea Lange• Educated at Columbia University

• moved to San Francisco to work in a portrait studio

• During the Great Depression moved to the street to capture American citizens dealing with the consequences of the era

• Was hired by the FSA (Farm Security Administration)

• Brought images of the poor (sharecroppers, displaced farm families, migrants) to public attention

Lange, Dorothea, (photographer). (1936). Destitue pea pickers in California, [photograph], Retrieved June 5, 2013, from: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa1998021539/PP/

Walter Evans

• Went to Williams College for French Lit before dropping out

• Was a clerk on Wall St until 1929

• 1935 worked for the Resettlement Administration (RA) in PA and WV

• Went on to work for the FSA

• Famous for many photographs taken of farm families and sharecroppers of the deep south

Evans, Walker (photographer). (1935). Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania [photograph], Retrieved June 11, 2013, from: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa1997019491/PP/

Arthur Rothstein

• He was a graduate of Columbia University

• Founder of the University Camera Club and photography editor of the Columbian

• Worked for the RA and FSA

• Well known for his images of small town, rural America

Rothstein, Arthur (photographer). (1939). Business center. Colp, Illinois [photograph], Retrieved June 11, 2013, from: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa2000008212/PP/

Picture Walk!

Divide into groups of 4-5 people

Walk around the room, stop at each photo for a few minutes. Analyze and discuss:- What elements are present?- Who/What is the subject? - What part of the subject is shown? - Where was the camera positioned? - What story is told through this photo?

Discuss

Rothstein, Arthur (photographer). (1938). Uncompleted hotel on main street, started in 1929, never finished because of depression. Vincennes, Indiana [photograph], Retrieved June 11, 2013, from: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa2000007850/PP/

Discuss

Evans, Walker (photographer). (1936). Tengle children, Hale County, Alabama [photograph], Retrieved June 11, 2013, from: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa1998016792/PP/

Discuss

Lange, Dorothea, (photographer). (1939). Family who traveled by freight train, [photograph], Retrieved June 5, 2013, from: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa2000003842/PP/

Discuss

LaLange, Dorothea, (photographer). (1937). Drought and depression refugee from Okalahoma now working in the pea fields of California [photograph], Retrieved June 5, 2013, from: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa2000000976/PP/