Families of the Great Depression by Charlotte Koester

Video Clip

ckoester11 — 2025-01-26 21:28:19 UTC

This video explains what life was like for typical families in the Great Depression. This panel was important for me to include in the exhibition, because it gives a realistic look into the realities of many families in the great depression.

Photograph

ckoester11 — 2025-01-26 21:30:01 UTC

This is a picture illustrating a family picture of a family with four children. This is a typical depiction of a farmer's family.

Painting

ckoester11 — 2025-01-26 21:31:02 UTC

This is a painting, the artist is unknown, of a grandmother comforting her granddaughter. This painting is extremely important, because it illustrates a different type of family, who are also suffering.

Poem/Song

ckoester11 — 2025-01-26 21:33:34 UTC

Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

This is a poem written by a sons for his mother in his mothers point of view. The poem states to the son that mothers life hasn't been very easy. This poem is very relatable for many mother at this time doing through hard times and not being able to properly explain this to their children.

Graph

ckoester11 — 2025-01-26 21:37:13 UTC

This is a line graph showing the peek of unemployment to be in the 1930s, in the Great Depression. This also meant for many families that they were losing their jobs. The lose of jobs for families was extremely tragic as these families had many members to feed and cloth. This panel is important, because it shows the peek in unemployment in the US, which many families suffered under.

Political cartoon

ckoester11 — 2025-01-26 21:42:14 UTC

This political cartoon illustrates many men pointing at president Hoover who is in the middle working at a desk, around him it says “Blame it on Hoover”. Many families agreed with this statement, that Hoover was the one to blame for their financial problems. I chose to include this into my exhibition, because it shows the strong believes of many families.

Video Clip

ckoester11 — 2025-01-26 21:48:08 UTC

https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/108f5f3b-6228-4e38-ae00-9b3fefdca725/taking-care-of-farm-and-family-during-the-great-depression/

This video follows the story of Verana Grant Johnson taking care of the farm and family during the depression. She and her family were greatly affected by the great depression and had to work hard to keep their farm going and enough food on the table. Her siblings and her had to work very hard and also continued to enforce this on their own children. This is an important video showing the conditions of a traditional family.

Photograph

ckoester11 — 2025-01-26 21:55:05 UTC

This is a picture of three young children. All are dressed in thin clothing and having no shoes on. Many families could not afford to dress their children in well made clothing and shoes. This is important to show the sacrifices families had to make, even children, to save money for food.

Photograph

ckoester11 — 2025-01-26 21:57:57 UTC

The photo shows a migrant worker, his young wife, and four children resting outside their temporary lodgings in California. These were the conditions for many families due to the sacrifices they made for their jobs.

Photograph

ckoester11 — 2025-01-26 21:59:06 UTC

This photo was taken outside of Perryton, Texas in 1936. The man in the picture was a professional laborer who, with his wife and children, migrated around the U.S. in search of work and to avoid the Dust Bowl.

Reflection

ckoester11 — 2025-01-27 16:17:37 UTC