Picturing a Nation by Martin W. Sandler

Picturing a Nation collects some of the best Great Depression photographs by the Farm Security Agency.

Picturing a Nation: The Great Depression’s Finest Photographers Introduce America to Itself by Martin W. Sandler. Candlewick, 2022, 153 pages + bibliography and index.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10

Recommended for: ages 8-up

Rough Times

The Great Depression—or rather, Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal administration—created a confusing pack of new federal agencies, and their effectiveness is still being debated. Most historians, however, give credit to the Farm Security Agency’s “Historical Section,” whose director Roy Stryker instigated the most outstanding collection of photography in America’s history. Tasked with creating a record of the FSA’s initiative, Stryker went further: he wanted a picture of America during this trying time, and assembled some of the most gifted photographers of his kind to create it. Dorothea Lange might be the best-known today, closely followed by Ben Shahn (see our review of The People’s Painter).  

An outstanding photographic record

Some iconic photos are featured in this collection, but all of them have their own fascintion—especially the vivid color photos taken with Kodachrome film, which was introduced in 1935. The collection is organized by region, starting with the south, working its way west, then jumping over to the northeast. After a 10-page introduction the text takes a back seat to the photos, arranged with quotes from the photographers. The faces upstage the settings: young and old, black and white, playful or haunted by worry. This was us, not that long ago. Contemporary American kids should pore over these pages and be grateful: not only for what they have now, but for where they came from.

Overall Rating: 4.25

• Worldview/moral value: 3.5
• Artistic/literary value: 5

Read more about our ratings here.                 

Also at Redeemed Reader:

Reviews: Students of American history should not miss an alternative view of the Great Depression by Amity Schlaes. See our review of the graphic novel adaptation of The Forgotten Man.

Reviews: Moon over Manifest (2011 Newbery medal) and Someplace to Call Home are good Depression-era novels for middle grade and up. And Luck of the Buttons, set in 1921, tells the story of a girl and her camera in small-town America.

Resource: See our list of more Great Depression books in our 20^th-Century History Booklist for young teens.

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