World's Highest Standard of Living - Margaret Bourke White

Margaret Bourke White “World’s Highest Standard of Living” 1937

Within this photograph, there are a variety of elements that engage with the viewer as to how accurate the Great Depression had an impact on Americans themselves. The advertisement board behind the people states that 'There's no way like the American Way' when discussing the world's highest standard of living. Segregation was still occurring within America at this time, and the contrast between the living standards of the African-Americans compared to the White family seen within the advertisement potentially suggests that the iconic family life and the 'American Way' of high standards of living was not applicable to African-Americans and therefore created tension within society.

In Levine's 'Photography and the History of American People in the 1930s and 1940s' paper, he states that President Hoover said "no one is starving" within America and that the American people had recovered from this decade of poverty and unemployment. However, we can see that within this juxtaposition that in 1937 the Great Depression still had long lasting implications on the people as seen above. While these people are queuing in a line for bread, we can analyse their clothes, their body language which gives further detail as to how these people are suffering. The men within this photo are all wearing hats, long coats and have shoes that are fit for purpose alongside this, are the few women wearing fur coats (far left) and kitten heel boots (right) and therefore, it raises the questions of to what extent are the people of America actually suffering from the Great Depression? Are they below the poverty line? Are the people in these photos all unemployed or do some of them work within the Alphabet Agencies or elsewhere?

Levine continues in his journal that the people of America became known as "unemployed men, desperate mothers and ragged children" within society who had not successfully overcome the misfortune of the Depression. It is well-known that prior to this photo being processed in 1937, that America was financially unstable with unemployment at 23.6% in 1932, the industrial stocks lost 80% of their value and that 40% of American banks had failed significantly and had not recovered. 

This is reinforced with Levine's analysis that unemployment remained 'critically high' until America entered World War Two in 1941. Although it solved the unemployment crisis within the 1930s, the aftermath of the war remained unclear as to what America's next step would be.

To conclude, the lack of emotions within the photograph clearly suggests that these people are not living the 'American Way' of lifestyle, since their own lifestyle is disorganised with no definitive outcome in the near future, by the majority of the people not directly facing the photographer Margaret Bourke White as she photographed on behalf of 'Fortune' magazine, suggests that they are ashamed of the life they lead and do not wish to be seen by the wider audience as to how they live.

Sources: 

Levine, L.W., "Photography and the History of American People in the 1930s and 1940s" in 'The History and the Icon', (London, University of California Press, 1988). 

White, M. B., "World's Highest Standard of Living", 1937.

Poor Whites, Georgetown, D.C.

Poor Whites, Georgetown, D.C.
Carl Mydans, 1935.

The solemn expressions on these children’s faces evoke emotion within the viewer of the photograph. They appear dishevelled and ragged, demonstrating how little their parents had to clothe and clean them properly. This is emphasised by the lack of shoes and ripped dress on the older girl, and the dirt on the younger girl’s face. Levine notes that “we are not prepared to see the symbolic victims we have become familiar with do anything but appropriately despairing, to suffer – with admirable dignity perhaps – but to suffer nonetheless.” We can see truth in his statement visualised in this photograph as we expect children to be playing, not sat in a doorway looking as though they are suffering. However because of the nature of the project carried out by the Farm Security Administration, what we are expecting to see alters to suit the context and as such, we are not surprised by the visible suffering of these children.

By not attaching a name to these children, as many of the photographers failed to do for their subjects, and instead referring to them as “Poor Whites” Mydans is detaching them from their individuality. In doing so, they created a unique collection of historical references. This is also suggested by Levine when he says, “it was precisely from the photographers’ attempts to picture their subjects not as individuals but as components of a larger context.”

These children represent family poverty that was prevalent during the Great Depression. This could also indicate that the children’s parents are believers in the American Dream, as so many were during this hard time, as they would want to stay strong and positive, despite everything that life has thrown at them. 

Visualising the American West

'Attack on a Wagon Train' painted by Charles Marion Russell in 1902, shows the resistance of the Native Americans towards the new European settlers who are invading their land and distorting the land. Russell is known to be a Romanticism artist, often depicting a sense of storytelling through his visualisation of accounts that he authored.

This oil painting symbolises the communication between the Natives and the newcomers suggesting that the new community that is being established are not welcomed. The pioneers who are travelling West to enhance and experience unclaimed land are in the distance of the painting suggesting they are not the significant centerpiece to this painting. By enforcing natural elements such as lighter colours on the Native Americans within the painting, it shows the body language of the Native Americans as they begin to attack as it shows the masculinity of the men who are trying to succeed in preventing the pioneers establishing a village or town. Not only this, the painting could also suggest that the Wild West is not willing to conform or to at least adapt to the views of the settlers by cultivating the land due to the difference in physicalities such as the mountains and uneven land and that the Native Americans are protecting it from harm.

However, this painting by Bradley Schmehl shows that the American Frontier has become successful and the Native Americans have been unable to protect their communities and land from the settlers. The settlers have adapted to the vast differences of landscapes within America and have built railways, used the land for its natural resources (such as wood which can be seen in the cart of the train) and created a vast and wide communication across the land from East to West which is accessible due to the industrialisation of America during this time.

Although Schmehl is not contemporary to the time that this occurred, he provides an interesting analysis of the American West and how it is symbolised. By visualising the impact of Westernisation on the Natives, he is able to create a symbolism of resistance and force within a painting to create an alternative view on the American West.


Sources: https://uploads7.wikiart.org/images/charles-m-russell/attack-on-a-wagon-train-1902.jpg
http://www.charlesmarionrussell.org/
http://bradleyschmehl.com/index.php/gallery/
http://bradleyschmehl.com/wp-content/uploads/wppa/25.jpg

Sierra Nevada

This image is a painting by Albert Bierstadt called Sierra Nevada. The image was painted somewhere between 1871 and 1873 and shows the unspoiled Sierra Nevada mountains in California.

The Painting is symbolic of the area and captures the sublime nature of the area beautifully. There is a huge contrast contrast between the grey and dangerous looking mountains in the upper half of the painting and the peaceful meadows and lake at the bottom which helps the person viewing the painting imagine the sheer vastness of the landscape portrayed. The unspoiled nature of the painting is captured by the small family of deer in the bottom half of the picture. Another element of the painting is that the mountains reach all the way up into the sky which could be symbolic of the heavens.

As Bierstadt, himself was born in Solingen in Germany and was himself an immigrant, he would most probably have never seen scenes as vast as he did in America. This awe is conveyed through his paintings of the western landscapes.

http://sioux.org/history.html

This is the website of the Sioux tribe. Their website has details on it about how to contact members of their government and lots of information on the History of the tribe. Although there is a tab for culture on the website, there is not much information under it. There are some links to museum websites but these seem to be lacking too much information http://www.timberlakehistory.org/

The History section does go into a lot of detail about their history, portraying them as an important and old tribe with rich history and culture. The Sioux also talk about education and healthcare on their website but there is not much detail.

The American West and Native Americans in Paintings

Capturing the Grizzly was painted by Charles Marion Russell in 1901. Russell was known for his storytelling, both through his words and through his paintings, with this in mind, he often found himself sacrificing the accuracy of his paintings in favour of telling a better story. With this particular painting, we don’t know how historically accurate it is, but it can be seen as a romantic view of the American West.

It demonstrates the idea that man can tame the West, symbolised in the capturing of a large and dangerous wild animal. The action of capturing the bear indicates a strong sense of bravery on their part, this is emphasised by how the horses are clearly scared and attempting to flee (an instinctive response to the threat), but they follow the orders of their riders and stay reluctantly. The landscape is a strong backdrop to the barbaric treatment of the bear, it suggests there is a world out there that is drastically more significant than three men capturing a grizzly, yet they remain the focus, indicating that man sees himself at the forefront of any painting. 

The Holy Rattle (Elkwater Lake Battle, 1864) by Z.S. Liang was painted in 2015. The Battle of Elkwater Lake was between two Native American tribes, the Blackfoot and the Kootenay. It began by the Kootenay hunting buffalo on the Blackfoot territory without asking permission as they usually would have.

Without taking in the date of the painting into account, the first impression is that it was painted in order to portray the Native Americans as ‘uncivilised’ as their fighting appears to be chaotic and unorganised. This contrasts with how the settlers would have fought in organised groups. However when we take the date of the painting into account, in 2015 most people recognised the skill of the Native Americans and admired them for their strength, thus this painting suggests they were formidable opponents, even to each other. Their tribal wear suggests pride and loyalty, as well as a way to distinguish between allies and enemies. 

American Native + West images task

http://www.truewestmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/cowboys-bathing.jpg

This is an image of cowboys/frontiersmen taking a bath at what seems to be a creek after months of cattle driving. These cattle drives would often take months to complete and so the cowboys would bathe before heading into cowtown to celebrate.

This image is symbolic as it represents triumph and success in the new frontier in America. The men in the image are smiling after what can be assumed as a successful cattle drive. The image is relaxed at the lower half with men bathing although some men are horseback at the upper portion of the image. This creates a sense of haste. Although there are smiles, these men are still on schedule and there is an underlying sense of urgency.

This is an oil painting by Gregory Perillo. The image depicts a native horseback upon a mountainous prairie. The native man’s facial expression and body language here assumes an element of comfortability, majesty as well as the symbiotic relationship between man and animal. Most native tribes were not technologically progressive and preferred to live off the land and harness nature to the best of there ability. That being said, there is a cross over here which may indicate a time frame of when this painting is set, and that is the rifle. This suggests the painting may have been set in the mid to late 1800s as this is around the time where more modern firearms would’ve become more readily available to natives. What is also interesting about this image is an ulterior sense of paradox. Despite the native seeming majestic here, the way he is facing is interesting. In much frontier art we often see the progressive society (typically westerners) facing West, as this assumes they were always looking to the west (to signify westward expansion), so the fact that the native here is facing the east suggests and underlying regression and retreat, as if he is being pushed out of his Western homeland.

Gender Roles in LHOTP

Gender Roles

Pa and Edwards

·      Pa is dominant male as he is the one who sells the house and calls the shots from chap 1 and decides to settle in chap 4

·      Chap 2 Pa in water with wagon

·      Chap 4 Pa scavenges while Ma does chores

·      All throughout Pa makes things

·      Pa plays fiddle. Skilled individual. Craftsman e.g chap 9 with chimney, roof and table.

·      Same with Edwards

Ma

·      Cooks and clean

·      Does house chores and trains the young to do more basic ones

·      More sensitive. Stereotypical traditional mother. Plays well to natural female emotions and uses these to her advantage in all aspects throughout the book.

Children

Children have no gender roles.

How does Ma parent?

How does Pa parent?

Chores in chap 10. Incentive for play

Community and coming together is usually initiated by men e.g Scotts, Edwards and to an extent, Natives e.g chap 5 he goes onto neighbor Edwards and natives in chap 18 where they eat silently together.

How do gender roles in this book fit with modern society?

Is this degrading?

Are the genders equal or is one seen as lesser?

Who works the hardest? Use all relevant examples without focusing too much on one part