The Photographs of John Vachon

Providing a unique view of American life during the Great Depression and Second World War, each volume in the Fields of Vision series focuses on a single photographer whose vision helped shape the collective identity of America and influenced the way we look at photographs in the 21st century. All of the images in each volume are chosen from the Library of Congress’s renowned collection of Farm Security Administration (FSA) and Office of War Information (OWI) photographs.

Originally hired to the Farm Security Administration (FSA) as an assistant messenger, John Vachon (1914–1975) eventually earned a position as a staff photographer. His work for the FSA marked the beginning of a long and storied career: after serving in World War II, he worked at Standard Oil and Life magazine before joining the staff of Look magazine, where he worked for more than two decades.