Taken in July 1936 by Arthur Rothstein (who at this time was hired by Roy Stryker of the FSA), this nitrate-base photograph shows Vernon Evans and the Lemmon family in Missoula, Montana during their migration from South Dakota to Oregon. Evidently, their goals were the same as all other impoverished workers during the Great Depression: jobs and stability.
In terms of analysing this image and its associated connotations and meanings, it is perhaps most effective to begin with comparison to some of the more archetypal images that came out of this period. For example, when compared with images like Dorothea Lange's 'Migrant Mother', we note that the figures in Rothstein's piece are all young yet adult, healthy and above all else: defiant, or resistant to the onset of the depression. These ideas are well reflected in the orchestration of the camera shot itself, as the group are shot directly, from a distance and in the sunlight, foregoing the nuanced implications of an angled camera and the use of lighting that might inform an analysis of many other depression-era photographs. In my view, there is also a clear sense of honesty and dignity in their stance, derived largely from the folded arms of the far-right man, and the relaxed hands in pockets of the woman. All these elements, when accumulated, seem to imply an underlying strength and enduring determination to this group and their mission. This again reveals some contrast with the more iconic images of the family during the depression, and supports the views of Lawrence Levine in his 1988 essay 'The Historian and the Icon'. Here, Levine describes how 'For some workers, at least, the route to greater security seemed to be not through accommodation and resignation but through militancy and organization'. A final comparison between this image and those of the 'perfect victims' is a comparison of their response to their crises, best labelled here as passive vs active. Clearly, the group here are 'active' in the face of financial ruin by journeying across the North border of America and pursuing wealth and security. In comparison, those such as the 'Migrant Mother' are typically resigned to their fate and portrayed as passive victims of their misfortune rather than defiant or 'active' in response.
There is too of course, the mantra of 'Oregon or Bust', painted or scratched on to the back end of their old model T; perhaps the best demonstration of the group's durability and certainly the focal interest of the photograph. On a superficial level, this might be described as a brief yet informative description of their destitution, the escape from which is dependent upon their successful arrival in Oregon where they had friends, according to Evans in a later interview. A deeper examination might conclude that this simple phrase becomes symbolic of the group's dogged progression Westwards, acting as a recurring motif of their perpetual peril. Both the satisfaction of success and the dire warnings of failure are featured in these three words, and it is perhaps that binary world to which they had been reduced, from which was drawn immense motivation.
We might even draw meaning from the fact that the car itself is branded with this message, because the car can be, or maybe should be, read as an icon of modernity. In this interpretation, there is a simultaneous reliance on modernity, yet also the stark portrayal of its failure and the resultant aftermath. Modernity in terms of an economy-based class system, relentless industrialisation and urbanisation and increasing commodification had collapsed in the devastating Wall St. Crash of 1929 and provoked the decade of unemployment and financial instability that affected those such as Vernon Evans and the Lemmon family. It is therefore interesting then, that it is one of the principal symbols of modernity which provides (both literally and metaphorically) a vehicle through which escape to the West and a better life might be obtained. Furthermore, this introduction to the concept of modernity invites us to consider what is not represented here in the physical photo, but is nonetheless integral to our understanding of the circumstances leading to the opportunity for such a photo in the very first place. For example, the government's role in the depression or their inability to respond adequately to the crisis is not shown here, yet is undoubtedly a factor inextricably linked with the fate of the pictured group. Equally, the economics of farming and the consequences of the dust bowl are not represented in the photo.
Finally, one of the more interesting aspects of this photograph is the way in which it conjures up the iconography of the original Westward expansion by the pioneers whose steps are retraced (arguably both literally and figuratively through their pursuit of wealth and a new life) by Evans and the Lemmon family. In forging their own path through the wilderness with their steel wagon, the group demonstrates that the individualist frontier mentality is well intact and is perhaps representative of the way in which they must work on their own after being abandoned by the government and other sources of aid. Why then, must these workers revert back to this archaic philosophy of Westward expansion and what does this say about American ideology or the national character? Perhaps these are questions that do not necessitate answers - though their remains an undeniable charm to the notion that their success might be obtained through comparable means in which the West was originally settled, with much of the same ideology remaining fundamental to their mission. It is for these reasons that the agrarian peoples of America constitute the main legacy of the great depression in the public consciousness and were so sought after by those such as the FSA photographers. Guarding elements of individualism and a real physical struggle for survival and success - these people better represent some of the core characteristics of American ideology, even recalling elements of the American dream itself. Consequently, images of their struggles may appear more interesting and emotionally potent than their urban counterparts, thus explaining their enduring legacy.
It is perhaps for these very reasons that Rothstein himself seemed so interested when the group passed him by as he chased them down the road, with Evans later stating that 'This "Oregon or Bust" on the back end was what took his eye". Originally, this encounter was a source of merriment for the group as they "honked and hollared at him, having a good time.". This reinforces the view of Levine who is quick to explain how the lives of migrant workers were not merely an incessant cycle of misery and poverty but became adapted to their struggles and nonetheless contained happiness and joy. He writes that "even in the midst of disaster life goes on and human beings find ways not merely of adapting to the forces that buffet them but often of rising above their circumstances and participating actively in the shaping of their lives."
Bibliography
Primary Source: Rothstein, Arthur Oregon or Bust, 1936. Missoula, Montana. Retrieved from <http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/fsa1998019540/PP/> last accessed 19/02/17
Secondary Sources
Brownwell, Blaine A. "A symbol of modernity: Attitudes Toward the Automobile in Southern Cities in the 1920s" American Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 1 (March 1972), pp. 20-44.
Definitions and Characteristics of Modernity. Retrieved from <https://www3.dbu.edu/mitchell/modernit.htm> last accessed 19/02/17
Rothstein, Arthur Oregon or Bust (Alternate photo), 1936. Missoula, MT. Retrieved from <http://www.shorpy.com/node/13549> last accessed 19/02/17
Vernon Evans, later interview. http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/movies/evans_money_06.html interview
No comments:
Post a Comment