The large-format 8x10-inch view camera became the primary tool for documenting the American experience during the Great Depression. By favoring technical precision and a detached aesthetic, Walker Evans captured the reality of a nation in turmoil. His images moved beyond simple reporting to establish a permanent visual record of social and economic hardship.
Early Influences and Beginnings
Born in 1903 in St. Louis, Evans grew up in Toledo, Chicago, and New York City. His formal education included Mercersburg Academy, Phillips Academy, and a year at Williams College. In 1926, he spent time in Paris before returning to New York. He worked briefly as a stockbroker clerk until he started photographing in 1928, drawing early inspiration from August Sander and Eugène Atget.
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In 1933, Evans traveled to Cuba to document the dictatorship of Gerardo Machado for the book The Crime of Cuba. He captured images of waterfront life, including dockworkers and street scenes. To avoid government censorship, he left many of his prints with Ernest Hemingway. Thirty-one of these photographs eventually appeared in the published account.
The Resettlement Administration Era
Starting in 1935, Evans photographed the effects of the Great Depression for the Resettlement Administration, which later became the Farm Security Administration. His work included documenting coal miners in West Virginia and the industrial landscape of Bethlehem Steel in Pennsylvania. During this period, he became noted for his stark, authoritative documentation of social realities across the Southern United States.
Collaborations and Later Projects
In 1936, Evans collaborated with writer James Agee on an assignment for Fortune in Hale County, Alabama. Their project focused on three sharecropper families, eventually resulting in the 1941 book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. By 1938, the Museum of Modern Art held the first exhibition dedicated to a single photographer, showcasing his work. Later, he explored urban life by taking candid photographs in the New York City Subway using a concealed camera.
Fast facts
- Born: 1903, St. Louis
- Died: 1975, New Haven
- Citizenship: United States
- Primary Movement: Social Realism
- Notable Employer: Farm Security Administration
- Awards: Guggenheim Fellowship (1940, 1941, 1959)
- Professional Education: Phillips Academy, Williams College
Questions readers ask
What equipment did Walker Evans prefer?
He frequently used a large-format 8x10-inch view camera to achieve his characteristic level of detail.
Which major organizations employed Evans?
He worked for the Resettlement Administration and the Farm Security Administration.
Achievements
- Affiliated with Farm Security Administration and Resettlement Administration
- Educated at Williams College, Phillips Academy and Mercersburg Academy
- Worked as photographer, photojournalist and journalist
