“Shuttered Stories: The New Deal’s Lens on Virginia Life”

Five New Deal organizations possessed photographic divisions, yet the operations of one notably distinguished itself: the vast Farm Security Administration (FSA), which had broader roles than any other establishment owing to its immense objective of combating the most pervasive issue of the Great Depression, agricultural poverty. Public relations significantly supported FSA efforts. Nonetheless, FSA photographers had responsibilities beyond merely generating archival and promotional images. Their purpose was to depict the life of a nation in all its manifestations.

The FSA engaged the most talented photographers available—professionals and adept amateurs, both male and female—whose skills, backgrounds, and passionate drive to capture the most significant visuals guaranteed a consistently high caliber of output. If there was an adage that encapsulated their method, it would be, Don’t skimp on the film! They certainly did not.

Currently, the Library of Congress’s collections comprise hundreds of thousands of images captured by them. Each photographer was an observant individual and an opportunist of the moment. Their photographs were both unembellished and distinctly American in composition. They illustrated the elements of a life lived with minimalism, of hard labor, of humble living circumstances by modern benchmarks, while also conveying a sense of quiet pride and resilient determination. They documented individuals with a compassionate humanitarian visual language, thus representing the essence and spirit of the country.

The FSA made certain its images were broadly circulated through the agency’s strategically nurtured and comprehensive web of relationships in journalism and publishing. The flagship publication of the era, Life, along with others like Look, Time, and Fortune, were collectively transforming the reading preferences of the public. They brimmed with polished photography, much of which was provided by the FSA and other New Deal agencies eager to promote their endeavors.

In the accompanying visuals, primarily taken in Virginia, the camera served not as an artistic instrument meant to capture images for the sake of aesthetics, but rather as a tool to document reality as it existed—sometimes unappealing, often routine, yet with respect for the dignity of people’s lives and aspirations. Looking back from over 80 years in the future, we witness sincere, candid glimpses—poignant snapshots—of ordinary individuals navigating simpler yet more arduous times, meeting the camera’s gaze with unawareness.

Virginia, both then and now, was populated with commonplace, everyday individuals. Therefore, when New Deal photographers embarked on the most extensive social documentation initiative in history, locating subjects was not a challenge. And, after many thousands of photographs, the straightforward magnificence of their narratives—from the Great Depression through the wartime years—were preserved in black and white, without extravagance, yet deserving applause for the sake of posterity.

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Discover more about VMFA’s A Long Arc: Photography and the American South since 1845.

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This piece was initially published in the February 2025 edition.