There are certain moments in the photographic history that seem surreal. For instance, the photograph of the Falling Man shot during 9/11, the Burning Monk captured during the Vietnam War, or the Hindenburg incident. However, each of these photographs has gone on to become an icon; there is the quieter side that remains elusive even today. An example is the punched-hole photographs of the Great Depression. If you have never heard this story, then you are in for a huge surprise.
The lead image is by Arthur Rothstein, courtesy of The Library of Congress. All images in this article are in the public domain.
The year was 1937 when the Farm Security Administration (FSA) was established as a subagency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This was also the period when the Great Depression was already wreaking havoc, and so many families, especially farmers, lived below the poverty line. As part of the program, the agency set out to provide loans to those families who had no means to get money from elsewhere. In addition, they decided to begin a documentary photography project that aimed to highlight the harsh realities of rural life during this challenging period. While FSA’s archive has grown exponentially over the years, including becoming a part of the Office of War Information, its early days still remain challenging.
Photograph by Ben Shahn/Library of Congress
This was the period when Roy E. Stryker, head of the Information Division of the Farm Security Administration (FSA), was heading the project. Stryker worked meticulously with names such as Russell Lee, Dorothea Lange, and Walker Evans to photograph the Great Depression. This also meant that the photographers were given strict but specific orders about what must be photographed. For instance, “farmer dumping milk at home,” “worried farmer,” or “federal government shot.” However, Stryker also had a controversial approach to images he did not like: punching holes to “kill” a photograph.
Photograph by Russell Lee/Library of Congress
The FSA has a vast collection of about 270,000 photographs, but the hole punching has made a large number of these timeless pictures unusable. If you are wondering what drove Stryker to do what he did, there are a few reasons for this. Foremost, Stryker was always under consistent pressure to prove FSA’s expenses and activities to Congress. This also meant he had to prove that this photography project, which was considered a luxury at that time due to the Great Depression, was not wasting resources. Thus, by “killing a photograph,” Stryker was proving that only the best images were used for the agency’s goals. There was also Stryker’s own vision and FSA’s mission. The agency wanted a clear record of the Great Depression, and he believed that some images did not fit in the narrative. Some photographers have punched holes for being too similar or not meeting the standards set by Stryker at that time. Although photographers did not approve of this practice, since this was the destruction of their negatives, their protests were met with more such editing.
Photograph by Russell Lee/Library of Congress
The images that survived are now with the Library of Congress and are in the public domain for anyone who wishes to see or talk about this era. However, when you look at the images, you ask yourself: Was this really necessary? Each of the hole-punched images is distinct, but due to their destruction, they have become symbols of resilience and hardship, and they continue to shape our perception of American life during the Great Depression. However, to some, they certainly prove that “killing your darlings” is not the solution to perfect a photographic project.
