Depression Art: Getting people through

On Tuesday October 29th, 1929, Wall Street was devastated by a 13% decline in the Dow Jones, an episode that became known in the financial world as “Black Tuesday.” It is generally understood that “Black Tuesday” was the main start of the Great Depression. By the end of October 1929, the stock market had dropped forty percent. This crash sent our nation into a depression for years later. This strongly influenced the lives of thousands of thousands of Americans. Many people were forced out of their homes or off their land. Farmers lost their farms. People were starving and out of work. Many people turned to art to try to get through the tough times.
To create jobs, the government created an organization called the Works Progress Administration. Activity in the arts was one aspect of the WPA. It was established in April 1935 and directed by Harry Hopkins, its purpose was to provide socially useful work for the unemployed. WPA programs included the construction of public...