November 1936. Arvin migratory farm workers' camp in Kern County, California. "Tom Collins, manager of Kern migrant camp, with drought refugee family." Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange. View full size.

October 1938 at the Alamo. "Mildred Irwin, saloon singer at North Platte, Nebraska. She entertained for 20 years in Omaha before coming to North Platte." Medium-format safety negative by John Vachon. View full size.

Letter from John Vachon to his wife, Penny:

October 29, 1938

        Last night I had an adventure. Of the 1st water. To have it I had to get kind of stiff. And I did, dear. Pretty plastered. But it was all in the line of duty, eminently legitimate and justifiable. About eight o'clock I went into a corner saloon. It was a saloon in the grand tradition. I drank only beer, but great gobs of it. At the piano was a big huge large fat blonde woman of 45 to 50 yrs. With beautiful smeary red makeup on her puss, and huge mammy type bosoms. And her voice, O that you could hear her voice. She has Sophie Tucker in the wastebasket   . . .

November 1936. "Drought refugee from Polk, Missouri. Awaiting the opening of orange picking season at Porterville, California." View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration.

May 1942. Langley Field, Virginia. YB-17 bombardment squadron. "Hitler would like this man to go home and forget about the war. A good American non-com at the side machine gun of a huge YB-17 bomber is a man who knows his business and works hard at it." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency: Alfred Palmer.

December 1936. "Washstand in house occupied by married hired hand and his wife. Harry Madsen farm near Dickens, Iowa. Three hundred sixty acres, owner-operated." View full size. Medium format nitrate negative by Russell Lee.

December 1936. "Farmer's wife churning butter. Emmet County, Iowa." Medium-format nitrate negative by Russell Lee. View full size.

August 1936. "Migrant cotton pickers at lunchtime. Near Robstown, Texas." Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange. View full size.

December 1936. "Wife of owner-operator and wife of hired hand cleaning chickens in cellar preparatory to canning them. Chickens at this time of year are bringing six cents per pound. These are for roasting. Harry Madsen farm, near Dickens, Iowa. 360 acres, owner operated." Medium format nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.

November 1936. Eighty-year-old woman living in squatters' camp on the outskirts of Bakersfield, California. "If you lose your pluck you lose the most there is in you -- all you've got to live with." View full size. Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration.

November 1936. "Cotton picker. Southern San Joaquin Valley, California." Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the FSA. View full size.

July 1936. Washington, Pennsylvania. "Old age." Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.

December 1936. "Marcus Miller and family in shack that he built himself. Spencer, Iowa. This is half the house. Miller is a hired hand who has managed to save enough to make a part payment on seven and a half acres of land. However, he is most anxious to get steady work or to operate a farm." View full size. Medium format nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration.

October 1914. Clarke and Norcross of Brown University at the Polo Grounds, where they got stomped by Cornell. View full size. G.G. Bain Collection.

November 24, 1913. The boxer Carl Morris, 6-foot-4 heavyweight from Oklahoma. Glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.

October 6, 1925. "West Philadelphia High School girls at the White House." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.