Let us Now Praise Walker Evans

Working in a tradition similar to that of Riis, Walker Evans was hired by the federal government (specifically, the FSA--Farm Security Administration) in 1937 as part of an effort to document the effects of government relief programs. Along with his companion, writer James Agee, Evans traveled throughout the areas affected worst by the Depression, accumulating an array of images testifying to the endurance of the human spirit in the struggle for subsistence. Whereas the FSA had hoped to generate publicity for their work through images of improving conditions, Evans supplied evidence of material hardship.

The result of his collaboration with Agee, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, was published to great acclaim, and is still viewed as a revolutionary social document. The Evans-Agee project represents a departure from Riis's work to the extent that it was achieved under the auspices of the state. In addition, the 1930's saw the arrival of publications such as Life (1936) and Look, marking the rise of photojournalism as an accepted commercial practice (preparing the way for a receptive audience). Just as Riis demonstrated the potential of the image in arousing the conscience of the public, Evans illustrated that many of the same goals could be accomplished with (reluctant?) assistance from the government.

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