History of Photography — Module 09: Documentary Photography, the FSA, and World War II

During the 1930s and through World War II, documentary photography emerged as a powerful tool for social observation, advocacy, and government publicity. Spearheaded by agencies like the Resettlement Administration and Farm Security Administration, photographers captured iconic images of the Great Depression to inspire empathy and support New Deal relief efforts. However, controversies regarding staged photos sparked debates about the medium's authenticity, gradually weakening its strict association with objective truth. As the era progressed, the documentary aesthetic evolved, intersecting with other creative fields like literature and film, before ultimately pivoting to capture the harrowing global realities of World War II.

The Evolution of Documentary Photography (1930s - WWII)

Documentary Photography and Government Patronage

  • The R.A. and F.S.A.: The Resettlement Administration (later the Farm Security Administration) used photography to document rural relief efforts and shape public opinion about the Great Depression.

  • Focus on "Middle-America": Directed by Roy Stryker, the project avoided tabloid voyeurism and instead focused on ordinary people in small towns, distributing thousands of emotionally persuasive images to the press.

Intersecting Media:
Photography, Literature, Film

  • Collaborative Publications: Photographers frequently paired their images with text to enhance their social message. Examples include Dorothea Lange's An American Exodus (with direct subject quotes) and Archibald MacLeish's Land of the Free (juxtaposing F.S.A. photos with poetry).

  • Multidisciplinary Artists: Many photographers engaged in other creative practices. Margaret Bourke-White and Walker Evans were prolific writers, Eudora Welty was a renowned novelist, and Gordon Parks expanded into filmmaking.

  • The Photo League: A New York-based group of filmmakers and photographers committed to depicting urban life, most notably producing the Harlem Document with sociological text by Michael Carter.

Controversies and the Shifting Meaning of “Documentary”

  • The Authenticity Debate: The strict association of "documentary" with objective truth was challenged by instances of manipulation, such as Arthur Rothstein moving a steer skull to create a more dramatic image of the Dust Bowl.

  • A Loosening Definition: Due to questions about "accuracy and completeness," the term evolved from representing purely objective social reform to describing any large, visually and thematically related photographic archive.

America Enters WWII

  • Shifting Focus: As the nation entered WWII, the F.S.A.'s photographic unit was absorbed by the Office of War Information. Photographers like Esther Bubley turned to documenting wartime transformations on the home front.

  • Frontline Photojournalism: Photographers such as Margaret Bourke-White and Robert Capa risked their lives to capture combat missions, concentration camps, and iconic, sometimes debated, images of conflict.

That debate about authenticity and editorial intent is still alive in commercial photography. The decisions made in post-production are as deliberate as the ones made in the field. scottparkerphoto.com/fashion.

Module 10:
From Universalism to Cultural Relativism, 1945–1975