Bound for Glory: America in Color 1939-43

by Paul Hendrickson

An array of 180 full-color photographs from the Library of Congress's Farm Security Administration collection, taken by FSA photographers from 1939 to 1943, creates a vivid portrait of America as it began to emerge from the Great Depression and prepared to fight World War II.

Genres: Photography, History, Nonfiction, Art, Social Issues, The United States Of America

192 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2004

Reviews

[Charlotte]

That this book (and more generally, this collection of photos) exists at all is a minor miracle and I am grateful for it. It is a collection of **color** (!!!) photographs taken throughout the United States between 1939-1943 as part of a New Deal make-work program. Seeing people and places from this era in color is equal parts fascinating, revealing, and jarring. As the book's introduction points out, the Great Depression/World War II era exists in our collective memory in black and white. I found it almost distracting that the pictures were in color; I had trouble not interpreting them as contemporary images. The photos in the second half of the book were more urban and industrial (and therefore included fewer people) so they were less interesting. Another unfortunate shortcoming is that the captions are sparse and the backstories completely unknown. This isn't the fault of the author; any contemporary documentation that may have been produced has been lost. Definitely worth paging through for the novelty, but I was hoping for more depth.

[Alyssa DeLeon]

It's something that I don't quite know how to put into words, but I often see photos from this time period and it does not register in my brain that the people saw the world the same way we do. Sometime about seeing people in color with high quality photography really resonates with me and imbeds this sense of realism and connection that I don't get from black and white. I especially loved the pictures of the children. They were not just faces in a moment frozen in time; they were friends, trouble makers, imaginers, and scholars. It was wonderful to find a connection with a world we'll never know.

[Kelly]

Nice color photographs of the depression era. They grasp, in full color, the hardships and lifestyles of that difficult era in American history. The introduction drags on, but the photos are interesting.

[Sissy]

Great images, little context for the communities. The text focuses on the bureau not the subjects.

[Mary]

Excellent photos of rural life from this period. Our first glimpses of color pictures.

[Juneau Public Library]

If you think of the Great Depression and World War II in black and white, this book of photographs will open your eyes to whole new way of seeing American history of that period. Kodachrome film, which created vivid color photographs, was newly available in the mid-1930s, but not yet widely used; photographers from the Farm Security Administration and the Office of War Information traveled all over the country and took some 1,600 photographs using the film, and the Library of Congress chose an assortment of those images and published them in this amazing book. Take a look at farm workers in the deep South, a fair in New Mexico, mines in Colorado, rail-yards in Chicago, commuters in Massachusetts, assembly-line workers building bombers in California, and potato farmers in Maine, all in beautiful color. I love this book firstly for the novelty of seeing images from the time period in color, but also for the glimpse it gives of everyday life and work of Americans some 70 years ago, and the just plain gorgeousness of the color photographs themselves.

Recommended by Catherine

[JBP]

When you think about America during the late 1930s and the early war years, it is a black and white world drenched in nostalgic black & white tones. This book, which includes hundreds of color images from that era is eye-opening. We are so trained in black & white that it takes a second to realize that you are looking at a Kodachrome image of vibrant hues from 1940 & not some fake, colorized image. Really, really cool to see these images in Bound for Glory and learn how the WPA's photographer division was organized.

[Christine Goldbeck]

During my graduate studies, the FSA-OWI was an integral part of my studies in policymaking and art. So, I loved every syllable and every image in this book and I highly recommend it to anyone who studies American history, government and/or art.

The color work of the FSA-OWI photographers is every bit as phenomenal as the black and white work and I am thrilled that the boxes of color photos were found and brought to light.

[David Corleto-Bales]

A deeply enjoyable and moving book of Kodachrome color photographs by various photographers from 1939 to 1943 throughout the United States, of farms, homes, mines, factories and towns. The film is so clear that it like actually having been there. There are alot of photos of defense plants and women working in them.

[Carmen]

Color photos of American life, circa 1930's-1940's. Beautiful kodachrome color, very moving.

[Eden]

One of the most beautiful books of photography I've ever delved into. Lush, rich, and evocative. And best of all, nearly documentary.

[Matty]

Interesting uncommon Americana color photos from across the country, taken by professional government-sponsored photographers.

[Sundry]

Wow, the world was in color before 1955 . Who knew? But seriously, very interesting collection of photos.

[Nick H]

Stunning collection