Taken in July 1936 by Arthur Rothstein, this photograph shows Vernon Evans and the Lemmon family in Missoula, MT during their migration from South Dakota to Oregon. Evidently, their goals were the same as all other impoverished workers during the Great Depression: jobs and stability. Relating an analysis of this photo and its translated meanings recalls our recent reading of Emerson and his notion of self-reliance as a defining principle for the new American.
It is the mantra of 'Oregon or Bust', painted or scratched on to the back end of their old model T; that is perhaps the best demonstration of the group's durability and is certainly the focal interest of the photograph. On a superficial level, this might be described as a brief yet informative description of their destitution, the escape from which is dependent upon their successful arrival in Oregon where they had friends, according to Evans in a later interview. A deeper examination might conclude that this simple phrase becomes symbolic of the group's dogged progression Westwards, acting as a recurring motif of their perpetual peril. Both the satisfaction of success and the dire warnings of failure are featured in these three words, and it is perhaps that binary world to which they had been reduced, from which was drawn immense motivation.
We might even draw meaning from the fact that the car itself is branded with this message, because the car can be, or maybe should be, read as an icon of modernity. In this interpretation, there is a simultaneous reliance on modernity, yet also the stark portrayal of its failure and the resultant aftermath. Modernity in terms of an economy-based class system, relentless industrialization and urbanization and increasing commodification had collapsed in the devastating Wall St. Crash of 1929 and provoked the decade of unemployment and financial instability that affected those such as Vernon Evans and the Lemmon family. It is therefore interesting then, that it is one of the principal symbols of modernity which provides (both literally and metaphorically) a vehicle through which escape to the West and a better life might be obtained. Furthermore, this introduction to the concept of modernity invites us to consider what is not represented here in the physical photo, but is nonetheless integral to our understanding of the circumstances leading to the opportunity for such a photo in the very first place. For example, the government's role in the depression or their inability to respond adequately to the crisis is not shown here, yet is undoubtedly a factor inextricably linked with the fate of the pictured group. Equally, the economics of farming and the consequences of the dust bowl are not represented in the photo.
Finally, one of the more interesting aspects of this photograph is the way in which it conjures up the iconography of the original Westward expansion by the pioneers whose steps are retraced (arguably both literally and figuratively through their pursuit of wealth and a new life) by Evans and the Lemmon family. In forging their own path through the wilderness with their steel wagon, the group demonstrates that the individualist frontier mentality is well intact and is perhaps representative of the way in which they must work on their own after being abandoned by the government and other sources of aid. Why then, must these workers revert back to this archaic philosophy of Westward expansion and what does this say about American ideology or the national character? Perhaps these are questions that do not necessitate answers - though their remains an undeniable charm to the notion that their success might be obtained through comparable means in which the West was originally settled, with much of the same ideology remaining fundamental to their mission. It is for these reasons that the agrarian peoples of America constitute the main legacy of the great depression in the public consciousness and were so sought after by those such as the FSA photographers. Guarding elements of individualism and a real physical struggle for survival and success - these people better represent some of the core characteristics of American ideology, even recalling elements of the American dream itself. These ideas all relate back to Emerson, whose ideology of the self-sufficient individual, is certainly manifested in the actions of the Lemmon family, as represented in this photo. However, while this connection is useful in understanding the successful implementation of Emerson's values - i.e. paying attention to how such ideals have consistently been manifested with desirable results throughout American history- it does is relatively one-dimensional. This is because Emerson's writings dealt with other elements of individualism or 'Self-reliance' - namely, education and the concept of learning or allowing yourself to follow the guidance of others. These issues are less relevant to this particular photograph wherein their struggle is a more visceral, physical one that is perhaps equally reminiscent of some themes articulated in Cooper's 'The Pioneers' as it is is of Emerson's 'Self-reliance'.
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