From the Great Depression to World War II - Photos from the American Memory Collection

Ration Warning

2009-09-24T07:02:00.003-04:00

Another image produced for the US government. Its caption reads: "The United States is at war and the law will show no mercy to anyone who sells - or buys - black market food."

As this series of images from World War II demonstrates, rationing isn't fun. Putting such a system in place consumes enormous amounts of human energy, is difficult for consumers to understand, is unpleasant for sellers as well as buyers, and requires enforcement mechanisms that threaten dire consequences for cheating.

Photo by Alfred T. Palmer, 1943. [American Memory link]

Rations Bureaucracy (3)

2009-09-22T07:04:00.003-04:00

Am I the only one who's confused - and thanking my lucky stars I was born in a peaceful era in which resources are plentiful? As the caption accompanying this photo explains:

"When the weight of a rationed product does not come out to even pounds, the point fraction table at the bottom of the official consumer table show point values for ounces. If the odd weight comes out to a fraction of a point, a retailer can collect an extra point if it is a half point or more. But if it is less, the customer does not need to give up an additional point."

(See posts immediately previous to this for additional info.) Photo by Alfred T. Palmer, 1943. [American Memory link]

Rations Bureaucracy (2)

2009-09-20T07:19:00.003-04:00

Like the previous image, this photograph appears to have been produced by the US government in order to explain ration procedures to the general public. The caption reads:

Point values on butter, lard, margarine, and other edible fats and oils are set by kind and weight. Points on rationed cheese are set the same way. Points on canned meat and canned fish are also set by kind and weight.

Photo by Alfred T. Palmer, 1943. [American Memory link]

Rations Bureaucracy (1)

2009-09-18T07:03:00.002-04:00

Taken in 1943 by US government photographer Alfred T. Palmer, this image was apparently used to explain the rationing system to consumers. Its caption reads:

On the day rationing begins, the row of "A" stamps becomes valid. And a new row of stamps becomes good every week on Sunday: "B" the second week, "C" the third, and so on. Stamps will continue to be good after the week is over. But they will expire at the end of the month. At that time "A," "B," "C," and "D" stamps will all expire together.

[American Memory link]

Scarce Meat

2009-09-16T07:00:00.003-04:00

Taken by Alfred T. Palmer in 1943, this photo was meant to demonstrate the concept of meat rationing in the United States during World War II. Its long caption is worth reproducing in full:

"[E]very single farmer, butcher, or local slaughterer who slaughters and sells meat, is required by law to get a permit from the nearest county War Board of the Department of Agriculture. This permit must be obtained by all who want to slaughter meat after March 31. It can be revoked and taken away from any permit holder who slaughters and sells more meat than the law allows him to under his quota. Every one of these permits will have a number. And the number of every permit holder must be plainly marked on all the primal cuts of the meat he sells. This provides one more way you can spot illegal meat. Permit number (or establishment number) missing? A phony price? An offer to sell without ration points? Watch for any of these signs. They point straight to black market meat." [bold added]

The caption on a related photo reads: "Meat is rationed by the kind and cut as well as by the pound. Every kind and cut has its own point value."

[American Memory link]

Children Only

2009-09-14T07:09:00.004-04:00

The sign reads: Oranges for children only. Described as an official British photo, this image highlights the grim measures that may become necessary during wartime.

The photo caption explains: "In the distribution of certain foods, such as oranges, British children and invalids receive priority. Through this plan various foods are allocated to those who need them most to maintain good health."

Image is dated April, 1943. [American Memory link]

Controlled Consumption

2009-09-12T07:00:00.001-04:00

"A shopkeeper cancels the coupons in a British housewife's ration book for the tea, sugar, cooking fats and bacon she is allowed for one week. Most foods in Britain are rationed..."

[American Memory link]

Waiting for Shoes

2009-09-10T07:11:00.001-04:00

In June 1943 in Washington D.C., these folks were part of a larger crowd waiting their turn to purchase shoes "on the last day on which war ration shoe coupon seventeen" could be used.

Photo by Esther Bubley. [American Memory link]

Gasoline Ration Card

2009-09-08T07:03:00.002-04:00

Taken by an unidentified photographer during the early 1940s, the fine print on this document emphasizes that successful rationing depends on faith and trust. There is "an agreement that the holder will observe the rules and regulations governing gasoline rationing as issued by the Office of Price Administration."

Meanwhile, the caption that accompanies this photo underlines the bureaucratic nature of such endeavors: "Gasoline ration card B3. Registrars are empowered to issue B3 cards to persons whose applications show that their vocational requirements are greater than those which the basic allotment card A provides and cannot be met by B1 or B2 cards."

[American Memory link]

Gas Rationing

2009-09-06T14:54:00.007-04:00

During World War II, gasoline was vital to the military campaign. As a result, the amount available for domestic US consumption was rationed. The caption accompanying this photo reads: "Gas station attendant checking ration coupons against license plate of Washington, D.C. Dodge automobile. Sign on sidewalk reads 'Today's quota sold'."

Photo by Albert Freeman, July 1942. [American Memory link]

Coal Mountain

2009-09-01T07:43:00.003-04:00

A coal loader in Minneapolis, 1939. (Click image for larger view.)

Photo by John Vachon. [American Memory link]

Train in the Mist

2009-08-30T06:36:00.003-04:00

A West Virginia trainyard, September 1942.

Photo by John Collier. [American Memory link]

Enquiries

2009-08-28T07:29:00.002-04:00

The information desk in Chicago's Union (train) Station. 1943.

Photo by Jack Delano. [American Memory link]

Steam Engine

2009-08-26T08:23:00.003-04:00

A train departs from Chicago's Union Station, January 1943.

Photo by Jack Delano. [American Memory link]

Meeting the President

2009-08-24T21:15:00.004-04:00

A farmer receiving drought assistance from the government speaks with President Roosevelt in North Dakota, 1936. Click image for a larger view.

Photo by Arthur Rothstein. [American Memory link]

Milk Train

2009-08-21T07:46:00.002-04:00

Be sure to click this image for a larger view. The caption accompanying this shot tells us this milk arrived in Caldwell, Idaho via train. 1941.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Iowa Train

2009-08-19T22:38:00.002-04:00

Awaiting a freight train's departure in Iowa, 1940.

Photo by John Vachon. [American Memory link]

on vacation - back soon

2009-07-31T09:57:00.000-04:00

All the best

Truck Stop

2009-07-27T06:00:00.003-04:00

A gleaming, vital image of a trucker grabbing a meal at a Mississippi truck stop in 1943. (Click photo for a larger view.)

Taken by John Vachon. [American Memory link]

Pepe's Cafe

2009-07-25T06:00:00.003-04:00

Taking a break at Pepe's coffee shop in Key West, Florida, 1938. The chairs and tables look European in both design and scale.

Photo by Arthur Rothstein. [American Memory link]

Greek Coffee

2009-07-23T06:00:00.002-04:00

A lush, crisp shot of the owner of a coffee shop in 1938 Pennsylvania. (Click image for a larger view.)

Photo by Arthur Rothstein. [American Memory link]

Reading the Mail

2009-07-21T06:00:00.003-04:00

This young man, photographed in 1942 Idaho, looks remarkably contemporary.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Making Soap 2

2009-07-19T06:00:00.003-04:00

Cutting homemade soap (comprised of grease and lye) into bars. In a rural community with few medical services, ensuring that the knife didn't slip was crucially important. New Mexico, 1939.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Making Soap

2009-07-17T06:13:00.003-04:00

Ah, yes, the good ol' days, when one spooned grease and lye into a tub set over a woodfire. Eventually the whole mess hardened and one cut it out of the tub in chunks.

The thing we forget when we romanticize living 'close to the land' prior to modern manufacturing is that it involved hour upon hour of unpleasant, tedious and frequently dangerous work. There's a reason the people in so many of these photos look older than their years.

Photo taken by Russell Lee in New Mexico, 1939. [American Memory link]

Candy Stand

2009-07-15T06:01:00.003-04:00

A candy stand at a farm auction frequented by Amish, Mennonite and Pennsylvania Dutch families. Pennsylvania, 1942.

Photo by John Collier. [American Memory link]

Choices

2009-07-13T13:53:00.002-04:00

Deciding on which candy to buy. Idaho, 1941.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Helping Out

2009-07-08T06:06:00.003-04:00

George Carell's seven-year-old son lends a hand in his father's workshop that produces war equipment. 1942 New Jersey.

Photo by Howard Liberman. [American Memory link]

Worry and Hardship

2009-07-06T06:06:00.004-04:00

A father with his sick child. This man moved his family from Texas to Oregon in a homemade trailer in 1939 in order to secure work in a potato field.

Photo by Dorothea Lange. [American Memory link]

Hanging With Grandad

2009-07-04T06:10:00.003-04:00

A fourth of July picnic in Vale, Oregon. 1941. (Click the image for a larger view.)

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Fruit Pickers

2009-07-02T06:00:00.004-04:00

A father with his four sons in 1940 Michigan. The caption accompanying this images reads: "Migrant father and sons living in back of truck in fruit pickers camp...The two older boys work with their father picking cherries."

Photo by John Vachon. [American Memory link]

On the Move

2009-06-30T06:00:00.003-04:00

A fine shot of a father and his son. The image caption says they're boarding a train in West Virginia, bound for New York state where they'll work as agricultural laborers.

Photo by John Collier. Sept. 1942. [American Memory link]

Father of Nine

2009-06-28T06:00:00.002-04:00

Tip Estes, a 43-year-old father of nine, with four of his offspring. Indiana, 1937.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Three Generations

2009-06-26T06:08:00.002-04:00

A father, his daughter, and his grandchild. When this photo was taken in San Antonio, Texas in 1939 this family's home was described by the photographer as a "shack".

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Fatherhood

2009-06-24T11:27:00.011-04:00

Three days ago, Father's Day was celebrated in Canada and the United States. That same afternoon, the father of a young friend of mine departed this mortal coil, having lost a battle with cancer.

The child being held by her father in this photo was awarded first prize in the 'healthiest baby contest' at the Shelby County Fair and Horse Show.

Taken by Marion Post Wolcott, in Kentucky. 1940. [American Memory link]

Healthy Specimen

2009-06-17T06:01:00.000-04:00

August Ehlen, a Colorado farmer, examines a sugar beet. 1939.

Photo by Arthur Rothstein. [American Memory link]

Tea in Wartime

2009-06-16T06:00:00.003-04:00

This 1943 photograph has the following caption:

"North Africa, long starved by the Axis, sees the American flag on tea from the United States, 800 tons of it. Six million half-and-quarter-pound flag-stamped packages have been distributed so far. Fourteen million packages of cotton goods, used clothing, condensed and powder milk, sugar, tobacco, and other essentials have gone into North Africa since our occupation in November."

[American Memory link]

Four Freedoms

2009-06-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

Taken in 1943 by an unidentified photographer, the caption accompanying this photo reads:

"In enemy-occupied countries where matches are scarce, five tons of them have been circulated by methods which must remain military secrets for the present. They carry this message to every match lighter: "The Four Freedoms--Freedom to speak, Freedom to worship, Freedom to think, Freedom from want."

[American Memory link]

Flag Day

2009-06-14T06:00:00.003-04:00

Women at a New Jersey flag company trim threads from a flag made for the United States government. Americans commemorate the adoption of their flag each year on June 14th.

Photo by Marjory Collins, 1943. [American Memory link]

Beet Fields

2009-06-13T06:00:00.002-04:00

Minnesota sugar beet workers in Minnesota, 1937. (Click the image for a larger version).

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Sugar Beets

2009-06-12T06:00:00.003-04:00

Loading a truck with sugar beets. Nebraska, 1938.

Photo by John Vachon. [American Memory link]

Community Chest

2009-06-11T06:00:00.002-04:00

Many of us associate the term "community chest" with the boardgame, Monopoly. Turns out, it was an earlier incarnation of the United Way charity. Nebraska, 1938.

Photo by John Vachon. [American Memory link]

Field Trip

2009-06-10T10:27:00.002-04:00

Highschool students visit the Lincoln Memorial in 1942. The caption accompanying this photo says these students were chosen for their "intellectual alertness" and rewarded with a week-long trip to Washington, D.C.

Photo by Marjory Collins. [American Memory link]

Standing Tall

2009-06-03T06:00:00.003-04:00

A monument dedicated to the copper miners of Arizona. I love the watercolor look of the clouds.

Photo by Dorothea Lange, 1937. [American Memory link]

After the Rain

2009-06-02T06:00:00.002-04:00

Sunbathers in Maryland, 1943.

Photo by Esther Bubley. [American Memory link]

Missouri Umbrella

2009-06-01T06:00:00.003-04:00

Taken in a school in Missouri, 1938.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Recovering from the Rain (Two)

2009-05-31T06:00:00.003-04:00

A day laborer repapers his roof. His house was in such poor condition that such repairs were necessary after every rainfall. Oklahoma, 1939.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Recovering from the Rain (One)

2009-05-30T06:00:00.003-04:00

The caption accompanying this photo is succinct: "West Texas farmer replanting cotton. Had three inches of rain which washed out the first crop."

In an agriculture-based economy, too little rain is disastrous. Too much is also bad news. More seed must be purchased and time must be spent re-planting. Not to mention the costs associated with an abbreviated growing season.

Photo by Dorothea Lange, 1937. [American Memory link]

Keeping Dry

2009-05-29T06:00:00.002-04:00

Workers seek refuge from the rain in Louisiana, 1938. (Click the image for a larger view.) The man on the far-right has a stump rather than a foot.

Taken by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Pittsburgh in the Rain

2009-05-28T06:00:00.003-04:00

Rain, like sunshine, is life-giving and vital. Too bad we humans have no control over how much of it falls - or at what speed or intensity.

Photo by John Vachon, July 1941. [American Memory link]

Detroit in the Rain

2009-05-27T09:52:00.002-04:00

As automakers slide into bankruptcy, in Michigan rain is a blessing, a curse - and a metaphor.

Taken in July 1942 by Arthur S. Siegel. [American Memory link]

Umbrella Repair

2009-05-26T06:02:00.003-04:00

A man repairs an umbrella in Baltimore, Maryland. 1943.

Photo by John Vachon. [American Memory link]

Soldiers Buried Here

2009-05-25T06:00:00.001-04:00

The National Cemetery in Cairo, Illinois - where more than 5,600 servicemen are buried.

Photo taken in 1940 by John Vachon. [American Memory link]

Praying for Rain

2009-05-24T06:00:00.002-04:00

The caption accompanying this July 1936 image reads: "Going to church to pray for rain. Grassy Butte, North Dakota." The sign on the building reads: Methodist Church. [click image for a larger view]

Photo by Arthur Rothstein. [American Memory link]

Looking For Rain

2009-05-23T16:33:00.003-04:00

An awesome shot taken in North Dakota in 1936. The 30s are associated with the dustbowl - as well as America's hottest temperatures of the century. This gent's name is Mike Sullinger.

Photo by Arthur Rothstein. [American Memory link]

News & Potatoes For Sale

2009-05-21T06:00:00.004-04:00

Click the image for a larger view. The caption accompanying this photo reads: "Potato peddler and newsboy, market, San Antonio, Texas." The newspaper is a Spanish-language one.

Taken by Russell Lee, 1939. [American Memory link]

Measles Quarantine

2009-05-20T06:00:00.002-04:00

A quarantined trailer in North Carolina. 1941.

Photo by Jack Delano. [American Memory link]

Chicken Pox Quarantine

2009-05-19T06:00:00.003-04:00

The children of George Carrell peer out at the world from their quarantined home in New Jersey in 1942. Captions accompanying this series of images explain that war-related work continued nonetheless in the family's home workshop.

Photo by Howard Liberman. [American Memory link]

Wooly

2009-05-18T06:00:00.002-04:00

Sheep at an agricultural college in Texas. January 1942.

Photo by Arthur Rothstein. [American Memory link]

Baby Bull

2009-05-17T06:00:00.003-04:00

A male cow - also called a bull calf - at a college in Texas. 1942.

Photo by Arthur Rothstein. [American Memory link]

Flat Tire

2009-05-16T12:51:00.004-04:00

The family to which these younsters belonged had just arrived in Oregon from Kansas, hoping to get work harvesting potatoes. Other photos in the series show a flat tire being replaced on their trailer/wagon - thus providing Dorothea Lange with this photo opportunity.

Sept. 1939. [American Memory link]

California Date Palms

2009-05-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

This fabulous shot was taken by Dorothea Lange in 1937.

[American Memory link]

Looking for Work

2009-05-14T06:00:00.003-04:00

Laborers in Memphis, Tennessee. I love their reflections in the window.

The photo caption explains that men would congregate each morning, hoping for seasonal work on cotton plantations, but that jobs were scarce due to "reduced cotton acreage."

Taken by Dorothea Lange in 1938. [American Memory link]

Vintage Tobacco

2009-05-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

Click the image for a larger view of these tobacco packages. They're great examples of vintage graphic design.

Ohio, 1938. Photographer unknown.

Mothering 3

2009-05-12T17:37:00.002-04:00

Mrs. Arnold, age 32, and her children. Washington state, 1939. (See a larger version by clicking the image.)

Photo by Dorothea Lange. [American Memory link]

Mothering 2

2009-05-11T06:00:00.003-04:00

The caption accompanying this photo reads: "Sergeant George Camblair and his mother." Taken in Washington, D.C. in 1942.

Photo by Jack Delano. [American Memory link]

Mothering

2009-05-10T06:00:00.003-04:00

Today is Mother's Day in Canada. This mother and daughter were photographed in California, in 1937.

Photo by Dorothea Lange. [American Memory link]

Cheap Eats

2009-05-09T06:00:00.004-04:00

Hot dogs costing 5 cents and platefuls of food for 25 cents. Wonder what the cowboy stew was made of. Texas, 1939.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Spinach Fields

2009-05-08T06:00:00.003-04:00

These empty baskets were filled with spinach harvested by migrant workers under the hot Texas sun. 1939.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Criss-Cross

2009-05-07T15:10:00.003-04:00

Spinach-basket lids. Texas, 1939.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Thoughts and Moments

2009-05-06T20:15:00.004-04:00

The caption accompanying this image tells us this gent is a farmer - and that he's resting in a car in 1938 Ohio.

Yet his body language suggests more than a mundane moment. What were his thoughts at that instant? If he had been shown this photo a year later, would he have recalled them?

Photo by Ben Shahn. [American Memory link]

Oil Storage

2009-05-04T06:00:00.002-04:00

Oil storage tanks in a Oklahoma community called Slick (no joke). 1940.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Union Meeting

2009-05-03T06:00:00.002-04:00

A mother and child rest during a chapter meeting of a union representing workers in the agriculture, canning, and packing industries. Oklahoma, 1940.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Hallway

2009-05-02T06:00:00.003-04:00

A hallway in a rooming house/apartment building in the Bronx. 1936.

Photo by Arthur Rothstein. [American Memory link]

Sad Story

2009-05-01T06:00:00.004-04:00

This photo tells a poignant tale all on its own, but the details contained in the caption are heartbreaking. Apparently this family was receiving government aid, but was then "dropped" from the program.

According to the photographer, a nurse's report indicates that the children have hookworm and that the mother suffers from "pellagra and milk leg." Hookworm can stunt intellectual development. Pellagra is a B vitamin deficiency which, if untreated, can kill a person in five years. It's associated with dizziness and dementia. Milk leg is connected to childbirth and involves dangerous blood clots. Apparently modern treatment for this condition involves resting in bed with one's leg elevated.

Alabama, 1939. Photo by Marion Wolcott Post. [American Memory link]

Childhood Lost

2009-04-30T06:00:00.002-04:00

This photo's caption reads, in part: "Gladys Smith, thirteen year old girl, who cooks and cares for a family of six." Alabama, 1939.

Whenever people talk about the good old days, when life was simpler and more rural, I think of scenes such as this one. Heating one's home via a fireplace and cooking one's food on a wood stove may well be a fun and interesting experience for one week a year. But people who lived back then had much of their lives consumed by long hours of drudgery.

Photo by Marion Post Wolcott. [American Memory link]

First Grade

2009-04-29T06:00:00.003-04:00

Grade one students with their teacher. Alabama, 1939. (click photo for a larger version)

Photo by Marion Post Wolcott. [American Memory link]

Generations

2009-04-28T06:00:00.003-04:00

For me, this shot captures the cycle of life beautifully. The child holding her doll (suggesting the children she, herself, will have some day), her mother in the doorway, and her grandmother behind her.

Full disclosure: It's actually uncertain who the others in the photo are. The caption accompanying this image says the girl is the daughter of a struggling Ohio farmer.

Photo by Ben Shahn, 1938. [American Memory link]

Have Your Head Read

2009-04-27T06:00:00.003-04:00

A stall at a carnival in Ohio, 1938. "Come in and have your head read. She will tell you what you want to know about love" and marriage.

Originally developed by a physician in the late 1700s, phrenology was taken seriously by medical personnel in the 1800s. It was believed that an individual's personality could be understood by examining the exterior of his or her skull.

Photo by Ben Shahn. [American Memory link]

Leaving Church

2009-04-26T06:00:00.003-04:00

In 1938 Ohio, going to church and dressing up went hand-in-hand.

Photo by Ben Shahn. [American Memory link]

Rubber Reclamation

2009-04-25T06:00:00.003-04:00

This is a cool shot. During World War II, rubber was in short supply and recycling was essential. At the Midwest plant where this photo was taken, discarded tires covered more than 100 acres. (click photo for a larger view)

Photo by Alfred T. Palmer. [American Memory link]

Giant Tires

2009-04-24T12:26:00.004-04:00

This device is called a vulcanizing unit. It cures rubber, the sort that gets made into tires. When this photo was taken in 1942, it was the world's largest such unit. The gent standing inside is 6-foot-4.

Photo by Alfred T. Palmer, location uncertain. [American Memory link]

Pride of Wisconsin

2009-04-23T22:07:00.002-04:00

Cheese in a small factory in Wisconsin, 1941.

Photo by John Vachon. [American Memory link]

Rugged and Beautiful

2009-04-22T18:00:00.004-04:00

A rock formation in Nevada's Valley of Fire. 1940. (click image for a larger view)

Photo by Arthur Rothstein. [American Memory link]

Oregon Bounty

2009-04-21T06:00:00.002-04:00

Logs in a mill yard in Oregon, 1939.

Photo by Dorothea Lange. [American Memory link]

Peek-A-Boo

2009-04-20T06:00:00.004-04:00

A mother looks off into the distance as her son flirts with the photographer. Texas, 1939.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Old & New

2009-04-19T06:00:00.002-04:00

Wagon wheels and an early automobile muffler outside a blacksmith's shop. Texas, 1939.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Demon

2009-04-18T06:00:00.005-04:00

A fanciful radiator cap. Photo taken in Mississippi in 1938. (Click image for a larger view.)

Discussion here notes that the figure's little finger has broken off - and that radiator caps may well be the origin of the automobile hood ornaments that followed.

Image by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Lumber

2009-04-17T06:00:00.004-04:00

Cut lumber in Maryland, 1935.

Photo by Theodor Jung. [American Memory link]

Shining Light

2009-04-16T13:18:00.002-04:00

Taken in a Washington, D.C. warehouse in 1942. These items were apparently collected during a wartime salvage drive.

Photo by Marjory Collins. [American Memory link]

Eternity

2009-04-14T06:00:00.002-04:00

A cheery little sign to have encountered at the side of the road, near the beginning of the Second World War. Apparently coloured red, white and blue. Georgia, 1940.

Photo by Marion Post Wolcott. [American Memory link]

Nothing Lasts Forever

2009-04-13T14:30:00.000-04:00

A worker washes an army vehicle prior to its final coat of paint. Taken at White Motor Company, in Cleveland, Ohio in 1941. The company lasted an additional forty years, but shut down down in 1981. (See a larger version of this wonderful shot by clicking the image.)

Photo by Alfred T. Palmer. [American Memory link]

Easter Table

2009-04-12T06:00:00.005-04:00

The caption accompanying this photo reads: "Easter table prepared for blessing by the priest at a home in the Polish community on the day before Easter. For Poles, Easter is a day for church going, feasting and visiting." Although it's difficult to see, the centerpiece is apparently a lamb sculpted from butter. (click photo for a larger view)

Photo taken by Marjory Collins in Buffalo, New York. 1940. [American Memory link]

Spring Flowers

2009-04-11T06:00:00.002-04:00

A 1943 Easter flower stand in Washington, D.C.

Photo by John Collier. [American Memory link]

Shelter 2

2009-04-10T06:00:00.003-04:00

Another shot of a baby goat with its own personal shelter. Texas, 1940.

Photo by Lee Russell. [American Memory link]

Shelter from the Storm

2009-04-09T06:00:00.003-04:00

A young goat kid is protected from cold winds and blazing sun on a Texas ranch in 1940.

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]

Weather Balloon

2009-04-08T06:00:00.003-04:00

Releasing a balloon at the airport in Washington, D.C. in order to determine wind direction and velocity. 1943.

Photo by Fred Driscoll. [American Memory link]

Blowing in the Wind

2009-04-07T15:39:00.004-04:00

Paper blown against a fence by the West Texas wind. 1940.

Photo by Lee Russell. [American Memory link]

Circus

2009-04-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

I love this shot, of youngsters sneaking under a circus tent in 1936 New Mexico. (click image for a larger version)

Photo by Arthur Rothstein. [American Memory link]

Mechanization Meets the Farm

2009-04-05T06:00:00.003-04:00

A hay-loading machine helps get the hay onto the wagon - but the wagon is still drawn by mules. 1938, Arkansas.

Photo by Lee Russell. [American Memory link]

Three Children and A Babe in Arms

2009-04-04T06:00:00.003-04:00

The family of a field worker at a Louisiana sugarcane farm. 1938. Their fine, softly-lit features seem at odds with their surroundings. (click photo for a larger version)

Photo by Russell Lee. [American Memory link]