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January 1939. "Boy whose father is on relief. Family living in shanty at city dump. Herrin, Illinois." Seen earlier here and here. Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size.
Maybe they're carnies, carnival people. The pictures on the table are either publicity photos, or small prints of poster illustrations. Mementos of their glory days.
A lot of circuses and carnival troupes shut down during the 30's...
The phonograph's turntable and tone arm are laying on the table behind the kid's head, so the poor family can't even listen to tunes, at least until the machine is fixed. I also notice quite a few Edison Diamond Discs in the stack of records [these were heavy discs that were about the thickness of three standard 78rpm records].
I remember one of my great-uncles years ago talking about how they would sharpen used phonograph needles with a file so they could be re-used again, simply because they could not afford the nickel or so for a pack of new needles.
The world's first bikini made its debut at a poolside fashion show in Paris in July of 1946.
Looks to be the display picture sold with the frame.
It looks like this little fellow is sitting on a child's ice cream parlor chair. We had one when we were growing up. They were quite sturdy. My sister still has it and uses it to display dolls.
They seem to have salvaged more than their lives.
Very powerful series of photos.
Forget about the poor child - what is with the subjects of the two framed pictures??? The one on the right is posed suggestively to say the least, and the one on the left seems to be quite a dish!!
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