Family of Defense Worker from North Carolina. They Live in One-Room Apartment in Helping Hand Mission, Portsmouth, Virginia.
Artist
John Vachon
(American, 1914-1975)
CultureAmerican
Date1941
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsOverall, Image: 7 1/8 × 9 15/16 in. (18.1 × 25.2 cm)
Overall, Support: 7 15/16 × 10 in. (20.2 × 25.4 cm)
Overall, Mat: 20 1/16 × 16 1/16 in. (51 × 40.8 cm)
Overall, Support: 7 15/16 × 10 in. (20.2 × 25.4 cm)
Overall, Mat: 20 1/16 × 16 1/16 in. (51 × 40.8 cm)
Credit LinePurchase, Horace W. Goldsmith Fund
Object number84.78.70
On View
Not on viewLabel TextJohn Vachon American, 1914–1975 Family of Defense Worker from North Carolina. They Live in One-Room Apartment in Helping Hand Mission, Portsmouth, Virginia, March 1941 Gelatin silver print (photograph), printed 1984 Chrysler Museum purchase 84.78.70 In Helping Hand Mission. Portsmouth, Virginia, John Vachon places emphasis on the woman passing the collection plate while a visiting minister stands to the side leading a hymn. The photograph reveals the intertwining of both religious practices and social services that were common among evangelical city missions during the Depression. What made these organizations different from federal programs was their focus on the individual rather than the collective actions of the country. Many of Vachon’s images show the Helping Hand Mission conducting services, yet some photographs focus on the interiors, as seen in his depiction of a defense worker’s family. ProvenancePurchased prints from Library of Congress (negatives on file at Library of Congress,) 1984.Exhibition History"Mountaineers to Main Streets: The Old Dominion as seen through the Farm Security Administration Photographs," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, May 3 - June 16, 1985. Published ReferencesBrooks Johnson. _Mountaineers to Main Streets: The Old Dominion as seen through the Farm Security Administration Photographs_. The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA. 1985: p. 129.
