Picturing Migrants: The Grapes of Wrath and New Deal Documentary Photography

269 Pages·2015·11.76 MB·English

by  James R. Swensen

P I C T U R I N G M I G R A N T S
The Grapes of Wrath and
New Deal Documentary Photography
JAMES R. SWENSEN
Picturing Migrants
The Charles M. Russell Center Series
on Art and Photography of the American West
B. Byron Price, General Editor
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Picturing Migrants
The Grapes of Wrath and
New Deal Documentary Photography
James R. Swensen
University of Oklahoma Press : Norman
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FRONTISPIECE: Dorothea
Lange, photograph from a
group captioned, in part, “Three
related Oklahoma drought
refugee families near Lordsburg,
New Mexico” (see p. 14 for full
caption). May 1937. Library of
Congress, LC-USF34-016675-C
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Swensen, James R.
Picturing migrants : The grapes of wrath and New Deal documentary photography /
James R. Swensen.
pages cm. — (The Charles M. Russell Center Series on art and photography of the American West ;
volume 18)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8061-4827-4
1. Steinbeck, John, 1902–1968. Grapes of wrath. 2. Steinbeck, John, 1902–1968—Sources. 3. Steinbeck,
John, 1902–1968—Influence. 4. Literature and photography—United States—History—20th century.
5. Documentary photography—United States—History—20th century. 6. Migrant agricultural
laborers—United States—History. 7. Depressions—1929—United States. 8. Dust Bowl Era, 1931–1939.
9. New Deal, 1933–1939. 10. United States. Farm Security Administration. I. Title.
PS3537.T3234G893 2015
813'.52—dc23
2015002780
Picturing Migrants: The Grapes of Wrath and New Deal Documentary Photography is Volume 18 in
The Charles M. Russell Center Series on Art and Photography of the American West.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on
Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources, Inc. ∞
Copyright © 2015 by the University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Publishing Division of the University.
Manufactured in Canada.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise—except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the United States Copyright Act—without
the prior written permission of the University of Oklahoma Press. To request permission to reproduce
selections from this book, write to Permissions, University of Oklahoma Press, 2800 Venture Drive,
Norman OK 73069, or email [email protected].
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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To Katie
and to my grandparents,
Mel and Beth Foxley, and
Russel B. and Beulah Swensen.
Their stories and experiences
sparked my interest in and
admiration for this rich
period of American history.
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Migrants—
Their hopes buried in the
burned-out soil, they packed
their belongings and moved on.
A tragic but significant
piece of American History.
It needed to be recorded.
ROY STRYKER, “The Lean Thirties,” 1960
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Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 3
PART I Pre-publication: Background for The Grapes of Wrath
1. Gathering Migrants: Dorothea Lange and Paul S. Taylor 11
2. Researching Migrants: John Steinbeck 29
3. Working for Life: John Steinbeck and Horace Bristol 44
PART II Post-publication: From Controversial Novel to Dust Bowl Icon
4. Shooting Script: Russell Lee 55
5. Finding Real Joads: Russell Lee and Elmer Thomas 83
6. Hope and Despair along the Migrant Trail: Russell Lee 121
7. Displaying Grapes and Wrath: FSA Exhibitions 139
8. A Straight Picture: Darryl Zanuck and Arthur Rothstein 157
9. Icons of the Great Depression: Looking Back on History 183
Coda 195
Notes 197
Bibliography 231
List of Illustrations 245
Index 251
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