Golden History

19/12/2024

14/08/2024

Children of submarginal farmer.
Pennington County, South Dakota. May 1936
Photograph by Arthur Rothstein

During 1936, wild extremes of weather tested the mettle of even the hardiest pioneers in South Dakota. A few weeks before this photo, in February, the mercury had plummeted to almost 60 degrees below zero. A few weeks after this photo, a July heatwave pushed the mercury above 100 degrees for 21 days. Many local high temperature records set in the Dakotas during the sweltering summer of 1936 have never been broken. The damage from heat was compounded by wide-spread drought.

Livestock that survived the bitter cold of February succumbed to the punishing heat in July. Crops failed and desert acreage expanded. Thousands of people died, and thousands of farms and ranches were pushed to ruin. President Roosevelt’s summer tour through the drought area during the campaign of 1936 brought national attention and prompted government action. Arthur Rothstein documented drought conditions for the US Resettlement Administration. This New Deal agency purchased submarginal farms and relocated families to better land. It also provided grants and loans to help those who stayed.

07/07/2024

trolley buses highgate village 1960.

07/07/2024

Tripplets 80 years later.

07/07/2024

Tricycle Gang in Brooklyn, New York City, 1930s.

07/07/2024

Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan, ca. 1910...

07/07/2024

Transporting Buick Cars, Chillicothe, Ohio, 1940.

07/07/2024

Transporteur postal rural en uniforme d'hiver, 1900, Suède

07/07/2024

'Tractor Boy', July 1958, by nick dewolf photo archive, via Flickr

07/07/2024

Traffic Officer operating a mechanical traffic signal, Philadelphia, 1922.

06/07/2024

Towers in the mid 70's.

06/07/2024

Tower Bridge. London 1900…

06/07/2024

Tower Bridge, London, 1905.

06/07/2024

Tower Bridge in London, nearing completion. (Photo by London Stereoscopic