1930's USA

The war in America meant that wheat was in high in demand and the prices were high, much more soil was being plowed in order to keep up with the demand for wheat however In the 1930's a long drought led to farmers not being able to plant and grow crops, all of the loose soil that was left was turned into dust cloud storms that blew across whole towns and cities, the whole sky was covered with the soil and the photographers that were commissioned by Roosevelt to photograph the Dust Bowl show the dust clouds and the effects of the depression. 

Dorothea Lange

Migrant Mother Series. Woman with children in a tent. Nipomo. California. 1936

I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions. I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. I did not ask her name or her history. She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed. She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food. There she sat in that lean- to tent with her children huddled around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her, and so she helped me. There was a sort of equality about it. (From: Popular Photography, Feb. 1960).

This photograph is a set of five images that have been taken of a woman (Florence Owens Thompson) and her family, one of the images captions tells us that she has seven children although not all of them are in the photographs. 

An interview with Thompson tells us that she was not happy with what happened with the photographs as the information given with photographs is incorrect. 

Walker Evans

Tenant farmer family. Hale County. Alabama. 1936

Evans is a widely known photographer who has photographed a family in their home. The man and wife (Floyd and Allie Mae Burroughs) were farmers who leased their belongings from the landowners, as the depression and drought started the crops they were producing did not cover the cost of living and they slowly started getting into debt. 

The photograph shows them in one room in their house and it makes the house feel small and the family look as though they are living in poverty; this is further helped by the sad and worn out faces of the family and the clothing they are wearing.

Arthur Rothstein

In this photograph a farmer and his sons are heading for cover from one of the dust storms, they look to be heading towards a run down wooden shed which will not provide a lot of shelter from the dust; even the precautions taken by families in well kept houses did not keep the dust out. 

Within the image the landscape is baron and desolate, this is a clear representation of many farms across the southern plains of America and it is a photograph many would relate too at the time. 

1900-1920

Richard Polack

A photographer in the 20th century he takes very strong influence from the works of Vermeer and Pieter De Hooch

Artist and His Model

Artist and his model is a painting with very strong influence coming from Vermeer's painting The Art of Painting, both paintings have similar interior design (flooring, chandelier and the curtain) and although different the positioning of the subjects are very similar.

The Art of Painting

Edward Steichen

His photography journey started when he took his work to Alfred Stieglitz and three of his photographs were bought. Together with Stieglitz the 'Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession' were started and many of his works were shown in this gallery that was held in Steichen's studio. His work was mainly posed portraits however he also photographed landscapes and a documentary of a horse racing venue.

Eva Watson Schutze



Schutze was another founding member of the Photo-Secession and often her work was presented and exhibited in the 291 gallery. Her clients enjoyed the composed,romantic striking figure of her portraits.  

Anne Brigman

She photographs in a pictorialist style; female nude figures in landscapes. She said that she wanted the female figure to become part of the landscape not just apart from it but inside it. She spent years caring for the same trees that she photographed many times. Her work was invited to be part of the Photo-Secession by Alfred Stieglitz and it is easy to see why; Stieglitz wanted to show that photography can be an art form and Brigman's work is very artistic.