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Collection: Marjory Collins - FSA/OWI Jan 1942 - June 1943

The photographs in the Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection form an extensive pictorial record of American life between 1935 and 1944. Photographer Marjory Collins was hired by the Office of War Information to photograph American life and support of the war effort. Across some 50 assignments, Ms. Collins captured iconic images of workers, families, and children all along the eastern part of the U.S. Her photos span January 1942 - June 1943 In 1944 Collins worked freelance for a construction company in Alaska before travelling to Africa and Europe on government and commercial assignments. Thereafter she worked mainly as an editor and a writer covering civil rights, the Vietnam War and women's movements. In the 1960s she edited American Journal of Public Health.[1] In the 1980s she moved to San Francisco where she obtained an M.A. in American Studies at Antioch College West. She died in 1985 at the age of 73.[1]

831 photos

Washington, D.C. District grocery store warehouse on 4th Street S.W. Order clerk settling accounts with merchants who come to make their purchases about 5 a.m.

Washington, D.C. District grocery store warehouse on 4th Street S.W. Man on the platform calls out orders, which the men of the produce department are loading onto small trucks. This goes on from about 2 to 5 a.m.

Washington, D.C. District grocery store warehouse on 4th Street S.W. Produce department. Assistant department head checking over string beans

Washington, D.C. District grocery store warehouse on 4th Street S.W. Each store's order is loaded onto a small truck and checked, first by a foreman, again by a checker at the door before being loaded onto a truck. Produce department

Washington, D.C. District grocery store warehouse on 4th Street S.W. Foreman calling out orders from the platform, which men are loading onto small trucks

Washington, D.C. District grocery store warehouse on 4th street S.W. Store owner kidding with the order foreman. There are 200 odd member stores in the District of Columbia

Mechanicsville, Maryland. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Herbert sitting on the porch of the home which he helped to build when he first came here thirty-six years ago to be a express agent. Mrs. Herbert is the town dressmaker

St. Mary's County, Maryland. Sunday school picnic on the Fourth of July, on the edge of the Patuxent River

St. Mary's County, Maryland. Sunday school picnic on the edge of the Patuxent River. Reverend Jenkins' daughter getting enough to eat

St. Mary's County, Maryland. Sunday school picnic on the edge of the Patuxent River. Drinking punch

St. Mary's County, Maryland. Sunday school picnic on the edge of the Patuxent River. Dale (left) and the Reverend Jenkins see to it that the Reverend's daughter is kept happy at the picnic

St. Mary's County, Maryland. Sunday school picnic on the edge of the Patuxent River

St. Mary's County, Maryland. Sunday school picnic on the edge of the Patuxent River. Some waded and some swam at the picnic.

St. Mary's County, Maryland. Minister's daughter sitting on a tombstone, watching people come to All Faith Church where her father is minister

St. Mary's County, Maryland. People going to All Faith Church

St. Mary's County, Maryland. People going to All Faith Church

Saint Mary's County, Maryland. People going to All Faith Church

Washington, D.C. Relaxing on the edge of the municipal swimming pool on Sunday

Washington, D.C. Municipal swimming pool on Sunday

Washington, D.C. One of the amateur baseball games between teams representing restaurants, garages, government workers, etc. which go on every afternoon in summer, and especially on Sunday, on diamonds in the Ellipse

Washington, D.C. Players in an amateur baseball game between the employees' recreation association and a team recruited from garage workers

Washington, D.C. Spectators at a baseball game: wives, sweethearts and children of the players; passersby and regular fans

Washington, D.C. Amateur baseball game at the Ellipse between garage employees and the employees' recreation association

Washington, D.C. Amateur baseball game at the Ellipse between garage employees and the employees' recreation association