The Great Depression- In Color?

Most of us when we think of the Great Depression, we think of those dismal black and white pictures of people standing in Soup Kitchen lines wearing rags.  There's just something about Black and White photography that dramatically adds a mood to a photograph.  Now I present to you the same sad era.  Only this time in color.

How do you feel about it now?  The Library of Congress via the Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information have released color images from 1939-1944.   They are color 35mm and 4x5 transparencies that depict rural and farm life that complement the famous black and whites.


The Does a color photograph make you feel what people then felt?  Not me.  When I look at it in color, it doesn't have the same impact.   I feel emotionally removed from them.  A black and white photo gives a sense of timelessness.  I have to admit that when my mother told me stories of her childhood, I pictured it in black and white.  I don't know why, but it just seems like more of a memory that way, almost like I'm in an old movie.   In my opinion, I am glad that these color pictures weren't as widely available as the black and whites.  The emotion of that time period is just as important as the facts when studying our history.  People will be more compelled to avoid another Great Depression if we can remember emotionally.  That is why I hope Black and White photography never goes away.  It is a good way to make a point without saying or showing anything.  It is a statement in itself.