Above is one of many photos which was recently released by the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.   Looking at the photos from the FSA-OWI era, this one in particular, one can not help but think of the power of documentary photography.  What is striking with these newly released photographs would be the power of color photography in contrast with the already established power of the now, iconic, black and white photos of the FSA series.

We can see that Robert Lee, Jack Delano and the rest of the FSA legends are masters of their crafts; even moreso with the addition of their color photography.

What I find most interesting in this most recent set of photos would be that we as artist or art enthusiast have known of the FSA series to be one of the foundations of what makes black and white portraiture evocative.  How a shared moment in time could be could completely trump a ‘staged’ studio portrait.  It also goes without saying how strange of a time we live in now, where seeing these photos on a ‘relatible’ level.  If you are American or a citizen of the world and just so happen to be from a meager background, these photos show a rich reflection of how we once were.  These photos show  us [be it positive or negative] what we are today.

Link: FSA-OWI

Isaiah