Picturing Migrants: The Grapes of Wrath and New Deal Documentary Photography by James R. Swensen (review)

In 1939 John Steinbeck published The Grapes of Wrath. The novel describes the struggles of the Joad family, Dust Bowl sharecroppers who travel to California after they are forced from their Oklahoma farm. As they move west, their dreams of a better life are challenged by migrant camps, exploitative farm owners, and other misfortunes that have come to define the migrant experience during the Depression era.

Picturing Migrants:The Grapes of Wrath and New Deal Documentary Photographyexplores the relationship between Steinbeck’s novel and the photographs taken by the Farm Security Administration (FSA). As James R. Swensen notes, these works have become important and increasingly intertwined symbols of the Great Depression since the 1930s, shaping our collective memory of the New Deal era. For Swensen, this is not coincidental. The Grapes of Wrathand the FSA photographs are products of the same context and engage with similar social, economic, and political struggles, particularly migration. Moreover, these works had a direct influence on one another. Steinbeck conducted extensive research for his novel, visiting migrant camps and utilizing resources that could strengthen his account of migrant life, including FSA photographs. These photographs enhanced Steinbeck’s understanding of the migrant situation and helped him craft a convincing narrative. Conversely, FSA photographers like Russell Lee were directly influenced by Steinbeck’s novel. As Swensen notes, this reciprocal relationship served both parties. The FSA photographs grounded The Grapes of Wrathin “objective” fact, mitigating critiques over its authenticity. The novel, in turn, underscored the need for FSA programs by foregrounding the plight of migrants.

In addressing these links, Swensen reinforces the fact that neither The Grapes of Wrathnor the FSA photographs are unmediated and transparent representations of reality. Likewise, they are not imitations of one another. While Russell Lee used The Grapes of Wrathas a basis for some of his photographs, his work deviates from Steinbeck’s novel in important ways. In addition to depicting racial diversity, his photographs feature both the failures and the triumphs of Dust Bowl migrants, offering a complex picture of these individuals. As Swensen suggests, Steinbeck’s vision differed from that of the FSA photographers. Although Steinbeck was influenced by their work, he believed that words were better suited to capturing the essence of the migrant experience. He did not aim to document the lives of real people; his figures were products of a literary imagination.

Picturing Migrantsis not the first study to explore links between the FSA photographs and Steinbeck’s novel. Swensen’s introduction critiques this work on a variety of fronts, including the practice of illustrating FSA photographs with little analysis of the content and form of the images themselves. Problematically, some of the FSA photographs in Swensen’s book are used in this way. Likewise, Swensen’s research agenda and conclusions ultimately reinforce the already established fact that there are indeed important connections between The Grapes of Wrathand the FSA photographs, doing little to challenge or radically reconsider the work of others who have written on the subject. Despite this shortcoming, Picturing Migrantsis one of the most nuanced and well-researched studies of the reciprocal relationship between these cultural icons, addressing FSA photographers like Dorothea Lange, Arthur Rothstein, and Russell Lee. Swenson also acknowledges influential but lesser-known figures like Tom Collins, the migrant camp manager who was photographed by Dorothea Lange and gave Steinbeck access to the camps and his expertise. As such, Picturing Migrantsis an important contribution to scholarship on the New Deal era.