Korvee 1935 - 1938

Editor: Here we have "Korvee", a gelatin silver print made sometime between 1935 and 1938 by an anonymous photographer. What strikes me most is the documentarian feel. The arrangement in a grid feels a bit detached, a series of images, but linked in an unidentifiable narrative. What’s your interpretation of these photos? Curator: Considering the period, and that these photographs document labor and everyday life, I see them within the social and political context of the 1930s. These might be documentary photographs commissioned or produced with a specific socio-political purpose in mind. What kind of social programs could have these scenes of work alluded to at the time? Editor: That's a good point. I see what seems like lumber work, a sand quarry, everyday activities in a town, maybe even washing laundry as a group. But a "commissioned purpose" is really making me rethink the meaning here... What sort of message could the patron be looking to portray through this layout? Curator: It could be an attempt to portray social harmony or the dignity of labor during times of economic hardship. Remember, realism was a dominant style then, often used to depict the lives of ordinary people. Are these images meant to promote communal activities, or even obscure some hardship? Think of the New Deal projects here in America at this same time. Editor: It makes you wonder what isn't being shown here. I definitely took that gelatin-silver "snapshot" for granted at first! Thank you. Curator: Indeed, considering the role of photography in shaping public perception, each picture is like a carefully chosen word in a much larger visual argument. Thinking about its context is paramount.