State Historical Society of Iowa

Farmer Earl Pauley's Children Playing with Dolls in Tumbleweed Near Smithland, Iowa, December 1936

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This image shows two children playing with dolls in the tumbleweed on a farm during the Great Depression.
Courtesy of Library of Congress, Lee, Russell, "Children of Earl Pauley, playing with dolls in tumbleweed, near Smithland, Iowa," Smithland, December 1936

Description

This photograph shows two daughters of tenant farmer Earl Pauley playing with their dolls in tumbleweed near Smithland, Iowa in 1936. The image was taken by photographer Russell Lee, who was hired by the federally-sponsored Farm Security Administration to be part of the Photographic Documentation Project. Lee had the task of documenting various social classes and cultures with his photography, and his collection focused on showing farms on submarginal land at Smithland Township in Iowa during the Great Depression.

Source-Dependent Questions

  • What are the children doing?
  • What is unfamiliar from today?

Citation Information

Lee, Russell, "Children of Earl Pauley, playing with dolls in tumbleweed, near Smithland, Iowa," Smithland, December 1936. Courtesy of Library of Congress