Images and Annotations

As I worked on the glitching of this image, I wanted to focus on the bright colors, as they were fairly new to photography at the time. However, the pink-shaded portion at the center of the photo occurred unintentionally, and sparked inspiration for the entire analysis. I wanted to pick up on the idea of Rose-Tinted Glasses, and romanticization of the mundane. The entire campaign put on by the FSA/OWI during the late 1930’s and early 1940’s had the goal of celebrating and romanticizing American life as the culture shifted from the devastation of the Depression to the modem of opportunity brought on by the start of World War II. Equally, in this photo we see young children, most of whom are old enough to have been born in the mid-late 1930’s, visiting a fair. It is a nostalgic image, with the crowded atmosphere and recognizable carnival attractions, and one which even now countless Americans will find relatable. But underneath this lens of nostalgia, one begins to consider—if this is their leisure, then what goes on behind the film, the rest of the time? What hardships did their families endure before the war?