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170,000 Old Depression Era Photos Were Just Released
By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 6, 2015
Modified Oct 6, 2015
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Photo courtesy of The Library Of Congress, FSA/OWI Collection/Yale University
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Oct 6, 2015
Modified Oct 6, 2015
Share
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A huge trove of old photos spanning from 1935 to 1945 has just been unveiled to the public, thanks to Yale University. And of the 17,000 Depression Era photos they've digitized, 2,698 of them are from New York City.
The photos live on their Photogrammer website, which is one of the most easily navigable photo archives we've ever seen—just click on any section of the map to find photos from that area (click here for other ways to explore).
Yale has provided a little backstory on the collection, which "primarily depict life in America during the Great Depression and World War II."
The Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information (FSA-OWI) produced some of the most iconic images of the Great Depression and World War II and included photographers such as Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, and Arthur Rothstein who shaped the visual culture of the era both in its moment and in American memory. Unit photographers were sent across the country. The negatives were sent to Washington, DC. The growing collection came to be known as "The File." With the United State's entry into WWII, the unit moved into the Office of War Information and the collection became known as the FSA-OWI File.
Click through for a preview, and explore further on their website... especially for those dreamy Pennsylvania Station shots. [h/t Kottke]
Tagged
depression era
flashback
history
old photos
yale
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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