The Great Depression in Arkansas – Object #4

Cotton pickers, Pulaski County, Arkansas

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<p>Two young black boys stand in a cotton field, one with a bag of cotton over his shoulder and the other with his hands in his pocket. The cotton field fills the background of the photograph and some plants have cotton on them.</p>

Two young black boys standing in a cotton field in Pulaski County, Arkansas. October 1935.

Questions:

How old do these young boys look?

Where are they and what are they doing?

Do you believe they should be picking cotton at such a young age?

Why would they have to pick cotton at their age?

What do you think they’re feeling at the time of this photo?

How do you think these Arkansans were affected by the Great Depression?

Citations

Shahn, Ben, photographer. Cotton pickers, Pulaski County, Arkansas. October 1935. [Photograph]. Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information Photograph Collection,Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.