Great Depression Photograph Summary

Walker Evans photograph “Roadside Stand Near Birmingham” shows the struggle between this family and the rest of the community during the Great Depression. Two young men holding watermelons and selling fruit and vegetables. These boys are trying to make a living in the depression. These boys look tired and they are determined to sell as many fruits and vegetables as they can. The building is separated into two different businesses in one building, one was “F.M. Pointer, the old reliable, house mover” and the other is a fish and bait shop. These shops look like they are run down but they are the family’s only mean of income. This is what puts food on the table The man in white looks like he is a customer and looks better than the rest of the

This shows the measures people go through in order to make a couple of dollars to support their families. Another reason this was a good representation of the Great Depression is because of the poor living conditions. Jim and his family lived in a small house they were fortunate to have, although after not having the money to pay for the electricity it got shut off. Now the family had to live in a home with no light or heat until they could pay the bill, which wouldn't happen for many weeks. This is when Jim had to go to his former boxing management and ask if they had any money for him to borrow so he could keep his electricity.

Walters Evan’s depiction of life and the people during the depression of the 1930s is abandoned, overwhelmed, and depressed. For instance, the person wearing the suit and a hat seems overwhelmed or exhausted. He is about to collapse from all that is going on in his life. The man seems to be searching for jobs in a newspaper article because his old job went out of business due to the stock market crash during the 30s. Since he lost his job with the other few men aside him in despair as well as he is, the man is overwhelmed with what he has to do to maintain that his family is going to be okay, safe, and watched over as he tries to search for a well maintained job that’ll meet his needs. They’re posture in the picture shows that they are depressed

“No cracked earth, no blistering sun, no burning wind, no grasshoppers are a permanent match for the indomitable American farmers and stockmen and their wives and children, who have carried on through desperate days and inspire us with their self-reliance, their tenacity, and their courage” (qtd. In Lookinbill 89). Thus spoke President Franklin D. Roosevelt during a broadcast campaign in Washington, D.C. in 1936 (89). By the early 1930s the nation was in the grips of the Great Depression (“We are California” 1). Millions of Americans were without food and shelter, and as well suffering to grasp hope when it comes to extreme poverty (1).

This photograph caught my attention because of how dirty their clothing is and their facial expression which seemed depressing and desperate for help. The picture is of Bud Fields (who was a sharecropper-farmer who gives a part of each crop as rent) and his family, they are seen sitting (except for the eldest kid) and are staring at the camera trying to show sympathy and show what the Great Depression has done to their lives. As you can see the background of the house looks very dirty and empty and by the look of their clothes they seem like they haven’t showered because their water probably ran out and haven’t washed their clothes. This picture was taken in 1936 or 1937 in Hale County, Alabama.

"Great Depression: People and Perspectives" by editor Hamilton Cravens, is a book on the people of the Great Depression era. It shows how minorities dealt with the traumatic turmoil of the times, including rural Americans, women, children, African Americans, and immigrants. Furthermore, it offers different viewpoints on the conflict between the social scientists and the policymakers responding to the crisis, the impact that the Great Depression had on the health of U.S. citizens, and the roles of American technology and Hollywood movies that played in helping the nation survive and later prosper. The author’s thesis is that even though the there was a 25 percent unemployment rate, 5,500 banks declared bankruptcy, and 32,000 business declared bankruptcy as well, the Great Depression’s impact was extensive and catastrophic, however, the impact it had on the day-by-day lives of ordinary American citizens was the strongest indicator of the Depression's devastation.

Walker Evan’s depiction of life and the people during the Great Depression of the 1930’s is daunting, isolated, and fatigued. A reason why the picture “ South Street, New York” is daunting is because, the men look like they do not have jobs. A reason why it is isolated is because the men are separated, not talking or looking at each other. A reason that its fatigued is because the men are just sitting around, for instance, the man on the right seems to be reading a newspaper while his head is being held up with his hand, and one of them is sleeping. There seems to be a lock on the door, maybe the gentleman laying down in front of the doors work there, he could be waiting for it to open. The man on the left looks like he is exploring the magazine

One specific example of true representation is the scenes at the docks where men line up at the fences begging to be chosen to work for one day’s salary. Another scene that accurately shows the Depression Era is the scene of the families in the huge lines for relief money. The lines stretched out the door and down the street and the charities and relief centers would often run out of money before everyone was helped. The viewer feels Braddock’s embarrassment as he waits in line to borrow money from the relief center, and then has to visit

This photo is a newspaper from the stock market crash of 1929, when the Great Depression started. On October 29 of 1929, the most shares in history were traded, and billions of dollars were lost. While this was not the sole cause of the Great Depression, it was a key factor of the Depression. By 1933, about 30 percent of the workforce was unemployed because of this. The Great Depression is very relevant to this exhibit because if more than 15 million americans had lost their jobs, then they probably couldn’t afford to have a maid. Even if the whites were employed, some people’s incomes were cut and it would be harder to have a maid. This meant that more Domestic Workers were out of jobs and they then will have trouble fending for themselves

Like the American population during Great Depression, the characters in the story faced many hardships they had to overcome, including but not limited to those mentioned previously. In brief, the Great Depression was a devastating event in the history of America’s economy and Capitalistic standpoint, that had the potential to abolish the United States’ world power status

The Great Depression was a time when people didn’t trust one another along and large masses were not perceived as equal. In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, women and African-Americans are portrayed as outcasts because of their incapability to work and gain equality in society. They face discrimination, and to escape this they do not interact with society often. This habit of theirs makes them lonely and craving for attention.

Walker Evans depiction of Life and the people during the depression of the 1930s is impoverished, emptiness, despite other words, diligently.

America finally had the war behind it. The country was booming and the majority had a carefree attitude. People were accustom to their lives and were not prepared for what was about to happen in 1929. The new decade would be a time of great change for everyone – art included. The 1920’s would bring a rollercoaster of events to America.

What was the Great Depression? To know why it was so significant, we need to know what it is and how it happened. Although it originated in the United States, the depression affected almost every country in the world. It was a period where consumer spending, global trade, and production fell.

For a unit over the Great Depression I currently have students read Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse and Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. After working on this course I would like to incorporate some of the film clips about the dust Bowl.