The Great Depression in Arkansas – Object #1 – Arkansas Primary Source Sets

Colored boys playing on top of Coca Cola stand. Little Rock, Arkansas.

<p>There are six young black boys, wearing worn and torn clothing, smiling with one hand in the air, on top of a Coca Cola stand. On the side of the building is the word ICE in large block letters, and on the left side of the building is a cut out of a large glass bottle of Royal Crown cola.</p>

A group of black boys stand on top of the roof a Coca Cola stand in Little Rock, Arkansas, June 1938.

Questions:

What people, objects, and activities do you see in this photograph?

What can we infer about the young boys in this photograph?

Why might they have their hands raised in the air?

Thinking about their possible ages, how do you think the Great Depression affected them compared to their parents? Provide evidence to support your answer.

Citations

Lange, Dorothea, photographer. Colored boys playing on top of Coca Cola stand. Little Rock, Arkansas. June 1938. [Photograph] Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information Photograph Collection,Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.