America from the Great Depression to World War II: Color Photographs from the FSA and OWI, ca. 1939-1945

In a hurry? Save or print these Collection Connections as a single file.

Go directly to the collection, America from the Great Depression to World War II: Color Photographs from the FSA and OWI, ca. 1939-1945, in American Memory, or view a Summary of Resources related to the collection.

1) Women in the War Effort

Many of the photographs examine women's contribution on the home front during World War II. As men were drafted into military service, women replaced them on the factory floor. The photographs show the many roles women played as they rallied to do their part in the war effort.

This woman worker at the Vultee-Nashville is shown making the final adjustments in the wheel well of an inner wing before the installation of the landing gear, Nashville, Tenn.

Search on employment, factory, and laborers for photographs showing women in the workplace.

A rivet is her fighting weapon

2) New Deal Work Programs

President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised the country a "New Deal", a series of programs aimed at helping the country revive from the Great Depression. These programs affected many aspects of American society, and emphasized creating jobs for the unemployed citizens in the United States. Several photographs within the collections show New Deal work projects. For example:

Welder at work on Douglas Dam, Tenn. (TVA)

Search on dams and Tennessee Valley Authority for photographs of TVA projects under construction.

3) Farm Workers

Negro migratory workers by a shack, Belle Glade, Fla.

Throughout the United States, migrant workers provided the labor needed to bring in the harvest. These individuals, who owned no land of their own to cultivate, were some of the hardest hit by the Depression. The photographs highlight the living conditions of these workers. Search the words agricultural laborers and migrant laborers for photographs showing the lives of farm workers.

Many photographs show farm workers in the fields and at home. Search on farmers, farming and families for photographs such as this one illustrating agricultural practices.

Planting corn along a river in Tennessee.

4) Relief Programs

The Farm Security Administration was established to help the farmers in the U.S., including those who owned farmland and those who did not. One of the ways this was accomplished was be providing loans to farmers for the purchase of equipment. Some photographs in this collection show people who benefited from the farm relief program of the FSA and the food relief program. Search on farm relief and food relief for photographs showing relief programs in action.

Bayou Bourbeau plantation operated by Bayou Bourbeau Farmstead Association, a cooperative established through the cooperation of FSA, Natchitoches, La.

5) Military Training

In preparation for participation in World War II overseas, members of the military received training in the United States. Photographs in the collection show various types of training as well as munitions and military technology of the period.

M-3 tank and crew using small arms, Ft. Knox, Ky.

Search on camouflage, military science, flight training, and military training for photographs showing the process of educating the armed forces.