Arthur Rothstein Louisiana Photograph
Arthur Rothstein made some of the most significant documentary photographs ever taken of rural and small-town America.
These images were created during his years traveling throughout the nation on assignment for the US Farm Security Administration, one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” agencies that restored and rebuilt an America devastated by the Great Depression.
In 1940, Rothstein joined the staff of Look magazine.
With the start of the WWll, Rothstein completed photojournalistic assignments for the US Army Signal Corps in China, Burma, and India.
After a short assignment for the United Nations, he returned to Look magazine, where he served as director of photography for 25 years during the Golden Age of post-war photo magazines.
He then held the same position for Parade magazine for 15 years, until his death in 1985.
During his years in magazine photojournalism Rothstein continued his own work, teaching, writing nine books as well as numerous newspaper and magazine columns on photography.
His photographs of America during the Great Depression were some of the most widely-published photographs of the 20th century, and are held in the collections of major museums around the world.
Tenant farmer with mule purchased with assistance from the Resettlement Administration, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, 1935. Photo by Arthur Rothstein. Courtesy of Arthur Rothstein Legacy Project.
President Franklin Roosevelt advanced his sweeping New Deal initiatives in two waves.
These are now referred to as the “First New Deal” in 1933, and the “Second New Deal” beginning in 1935.
Charismatic Louisiana governor Huey Long aspired to run against FDR in the 1936 presidential race, so he resisted federal funding in favor of infrastructure and social programs he controlled.
Corruption allegations led to federal investigations of Long’s powerful political machine, but these investigations ended following his assassination in September 1935.
After Long’s death, Louisiana benefitted from a surge of “Second New Deal” funding from Washington.
However, Huey Long’s death created a political vacuum.
Officials who had aspired to take Long’s place and continue his “Share Our Wealth” legacy instead stole federal funding for themselves.
This resulted in a new surge of corruption prosecutions.
Cynics in the press referred to this wave of funding and misappropriation as “The Second Louisiana Purchase.”
Despite these challenges, most of the funding did reach needy people like this deserving tenant farmer.
This Arthur Rothstein exhibit is made possible by the Arthur Rothstein Legacy Project.