May God give us Strength.

February 24, 2009 4:34 AM

Photographs of The Great Depression of the 1930's to 1940's (previously), and an interview with a survivor growing up during those hard times... posted before on Mefi, here.
posted by hadjiboy (7 comments total)

Whenever I see those Walker Evans photos, it always astonishes me how little rural Alabama has changed.

Yeah, kids have pants and most have cheap Chinese made shoes, but those shacks are still there and still occupied.
posted by Pollomacho at 5:11 AM on February 24, 2009

The Road to Hooverville, an audio slideshow by our friends at the BBC.
posted by Vindaloo at 6:01 AM on February 24, 2009

If our stimulus plan fails, and our nation is plunged again into the depths of another Great Depression, my greatest fear is that we shall have no Sears Roebuck catalog with which to use as toilet paper.

Due to the incessant depression-era anecdotes of my parents, I have given this issue a great deal of thought, and plan to simply print out spam e-mail as an effective substitute.
posted by Tube at 6:31 AM on February 24, 2009

Honest Weights, Square Dealings
posted by stbalbach at 6:33 AM on February 24, 2009

"Hitlers Love Life Revealed!" - 1940

Suddenly looking at these in the checkout lines doesn't seem so bad.
posted by Defenestrator at 2:02 PM on February 24, 2009

Sad that the CNN link to one of the children in the Migrant Mother photo talks about keeping her cleaning job at the age of 77. I can't imagine living a whole life on such marginal means. Every person I know who lived through the depression went on to be comparatively well off, as they worked to save and build a cushion against hard times, to the point where they have pretty comfortable retirements.
posted by bystander at 4:25 PM on February 24, 2009

Not one person wearing a barrel. Disappointing.
posted by jimmythefish at 5:54 PM on February 24, 2009