Arthur Rothstein
1915–1985 · United States
The agricultural crisis told at the scale of everyday life.
The story
Arthur Rothstein met Roy Stryker while studying at Columbia. Recruited in 1935 for the Resettlement Administration’s photographic project, he helped document the consequences of the agricultural crisis and the Dust Bowl. He continued his career at Look, first as a photographer and then as director of photography. His career connects public inquiry, field reporting and storytelling in the illustrated press.
Understanding the work
Observe how a gesture remains legible in a difficult environment. Then consult the caption and the series: an image that becomes a symbol does not sum up an entire situation.
Key works and series
Dust Storm, Cimarron County; farming families; photo essays for Look.
Sources & further exploration
Works in collections.
22 recordsPhotographs to explore on museum and library websites, with titles, dates and processes. Each link opens the collection record and its image where one is available.
- MoMA · October 1935
Mrs. Dodson and One of her Nine Children, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Gelatin silver print
- MoMA · May 1936
A Kincaider who is Still Proving his Claim with One Year to Go, Pennington County, South Dakota, (Man playing fiddle)
Gelatin silver print
- Library of Congress · 1936-04
Un fermier et ses fils dans une tempête de poussière, Oklahoma
Photograph — FSA/OWI collection
- Library of Congress · 1936-04
Fils de fermier dans le Dust Bowl, comté de Cimarron
Photograph — FSA/OWI collection
- Library of Congress · 1937-04
Maison de la plantation Pettway, Gee’s Bend, Alabama
Photograph — FSA/OWI collection
- Library of Congress · 1941-12
Marins dans une salle d’embauche, National Maritime Union, New York
Photograph — FSA/OWI collection
- Library of Congress · 1938-05
Installation de traitement du charbon, comté de Pike, Kentucky
Photograph — FSA/OWI collection
- Library of Congress · 1936-05
Automobile soutenant le plan Townsend, Columbus, Kansas
Photograph — FSA/OWI collection
- Library of Congress · 1940-03
Potagers du camp de travailleurs migrants de Tulare, Californie
Photograph — FSA/OWI collection
- Library of Congress · January 1942
Instruction au parachute, Meacham Field, Fort Worth, Texas
Photograph — FSA/OWI collection
- Library of Congress · 1942-08
Mme Garrity étendant le linge, Yonkers, New York
Photograph — FSA/OWI collection
- Library of Congress · 1935-09
Maison de métayer, paroisse de Plaquemines, Louisiane
Photograph — FSA/OWI collection
