Vibrant Photos Of Chicago In 1941 Through The Lens Of Photographer John Vachon – Design You Trust

Vibrant Photos Of Chicago In 1941 Through The Lens Of Photographer John Vachon


John Vachon/Library Of Congress

In the depths of the Great Depression, the United States government created the Resettlement Administration to help provide relief for drought-stricken and impoverished farmers. The RA was restructured and renamed the Farm Security Administration in 1937.

One of the FSA’s most notable efforts was its small team of documentary photographers, who traveled the country recording the living conditions of Americans. Directed by Roy Stryker, the photographers included now-legendary documentarians Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Gordon Parks and Russell Lee, among others.

In 1936, 21-year-old Minnesotan John Felix Vachon got a job with the FSA as an assistant messenger while attending the Catholic University of America. He had no previous interest in photography, but his constant immersion in the work of the FSA photographers motivated him to try his own hand at shooting.

He started out by wandering around Washington with a Leica camera, and soon received training, equipment and encouragement from Stryker, Evans and other FSA photographers. By 1938, he was shooting solo assignments.

Here, the still-green photographer explores the streets of Chicago in 1941, capturing images of city life in photos that are sometimes distant and unobtrusive, but often sharply observant and quietly funny.

h/t: mashable


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress


John Vachon/Library Of Congress

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to 'Oh, Design You Trust,' our brand new Facebook page! Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

More Inspiring Stories

The Plague Of Overweight: Photographer Martha Holmes Documented The Struggle Of Obesity People In 1950s America
Vintage Photos Of People Wearing Masks During The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, One Of The Deadliest Natural Disasters In Human History
Breathtaking Drone Imagery Tops Dronestagram’s Annual Photo Awards
Amazing Winners Of The African Wildlife Foundation Photography Awards
Inside the World of Men and Dolls
Heavy hand, sunken spirit: Mexico at war
No Man's Land: Fukushima Exclusion Zone Through The Eyes Of Daredevil Stalker
31 Stunning Black And White Photos Of Europe In The Fifties Through A Soldier‘s Lens
Harrowing Black And White Photos Show The Horrific Living Conditions In 1940s Glasgow Where Overcrowding Was Rife And Sewage Seeped Into Slums
A Photographer Traveled 15,000 Miles Around New Zealand To Take The Perfect Shots
Cool Snaps That Show Bedroom Walls In The 1980s
Beautiful Photos of Brigitte Bardot During the Filming of "Les Femmes," 1969
Amazing Pictures of New York City in the early 1980s
These Photos Of Fireflies Show How Beautiful Summer Nights Are In Japan
Darth Vader In Disneyland
Spectacular Winning Images from The Milky Way Photographer of the Year 2021
Preservation: Photographer Blake Little Creates Conceptual Series Of Human Bodies Totally Covered With Honey
People Are Sharing Pics Of Life 50-100 Years Ago And They Might Put Things In A New Perspective
Photographer Insuh Yoon
The Amazingly Detailed Living Pictures That Show How Scenes Throughout History May Really Have Looked
“What I Be” – Powerful Portraits Of Brave People Revealing Their Insecurities
The Guardian Readers' Travel Photography Competition: September 2016
Golden Christmas Tree
Japan 2077: Takaaki Ito Captures Cyberpunk Tokyo In Dark And Moody Neon