Dust, Drought, Depression, and War No. 13
“Negro boy near Cincinnati, Oho.”
John Vachon, 1942 or 19431
This photo has long been a favorite of mine. I first shared it online about 16 years ago.
John Vachon2
The man who took this picture, John Vachon, became a photographer almost by accident. In 1936, he had been looking for a job for several months after attending graduate school at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The first job opening that came up through the patronage channels associated with the University was an opening for a messenger at the Resettlement Administration. “I went to the office I was told to go to and was interviewed by a guy named Roy Stryker. He told me that it was a temporary job, for a month only, to replace somebody who was going back to Montana, or something. I remember the title of the job was “Messenger,” but the duties Roy explained to me that day, telling me that they were going to be very dull, would be to write captions on the back of 8 x l0 photographs, the captions being on file cards which I would copy. So I did that for a month, and occasionally would turn the picture over and look at it. And then at the end of the month I was let go, and I was again unemployed in June.”
About 6 weeks later, Vachon was back at work doing the same job, captioning and cataloging pictures, even though the job title was “messenger.” After a few months, he had become interested in the pictures, started to be able to identify “one photographer’s work from the other, and admire certain pictures. It was in the spring of the next year, ’37, when I asked Stryker if I could use a camera just to see what I could do with it, which I had never in my life done or wanted to do. So I borrowed a camera and took pictures around Washington for most of that summer, you know, on my own.”
Vachon became more involved with the files, being elevated to “assistant clerk,” and gradually became responsible for their organization and classifications. Stryker also started sending him out on photo assignments, sometimes with others from the office. It wasn’t until 1938 that he had his first long assignment, a month in Nebraska in the winter of 1938. In 1941 he was classified as a photographer and, from then on, all he did was photography.
Vachon continued to work as a photographer including for Life for 2 years and Look for over 25.
The title of the photo.3
This photo was shared on Flickr in January 2008 by the Library of Congress.
While many comments are full of praise for the image, from the beginning there were comments regarding the title, including some who thought it was derogatory.
is it necessary to label the photo “Negro boy?” surly “boy” will do or if needed to make reference to his race for historical context: surly African American.
Fantastic portrait. But not diggin’ the title. Cheers.
Great photo but like others have said, the title diminishes the image.
Fix the title. What year are we living in again?
Terrible title…….You may be posting using the original archived title but why use it on Flickr ?
I read about 2 years’ worth of comments. Most who comment on the title had no problem with it for a variety of reasons. Several mentioned that the names of the NAACP4 and UNCF5 haven’t been changed, so why the fuss over the title of this photo?
Title: Negro boy near Cincinnati, Ohio
Creator(s): Vachon, John, 1914-1975, photographer
Date Created/Published: [1942 or 1943]
Medium: 1 slide : color.
Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-fsac-1a34281 (digital file from original slide) LC-USF351-276 (color film copy slide)
Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.
Call Number: LC-USF35-276 [P&P]
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
Notes:
…..Transfer from U.S. Office of War Information, 1944.
…..General information about the FSA/OWI Color Photographs is available at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.fsac
…..Title from FSA or OWI agency caption.
…..Additional information about this photograph might be available through the Flickr Commons project at http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2179172498
- Vachon, John. “Negro Boy near Cincinnati, Ohio.” Library of Congress, [1942 or 1943]. Accessed August 26, 2021. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017877922/.
- Doud, Richard. “Oral History Interview with John Vachon, 1964 April 28.” Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Accessed August 26, 2021. https://www.aaa.si.edu/…john-vachon.
- The Library of Congress. “Negro Boy near Cincinnati, OHIO (LOC).” Flickr, January 8, 2008. https://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress….
- NAACP—National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- UNCF— United Negro College Fund (A mind is a terrible thing to waste)
