Shorpy is the best.


Shorpy is the best.

Are those burns on her arms?

Originally shared by Shorpy

"Mother of family on relief living in shanty at city dump." Arthur Rothstein photo, 1939. http://hdsit.es/1ohPZt5

Comments

  1. Actually they are tattoos. I went to Shorpy and zoomed in on the fullsized image. Some of the ads in the wallpapers are excellent too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this woman...hard times and doing the best she can...keeping it all neat, organized and spiffy too! The tattoos reflect her tough and independent character. Thank you for posting this wonderful photo.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If you look at the full sized image she also has a tat on her chest.

    There is another Shorpy image of her and her child - and I assume husband - standing in front of their shack too. The picture was taken in the a junk yard in Illinois.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I remember my grandmothers kitchen was like that mama took us to her house all the time she was always cooking or baking. I miss that

    ReplyDelete
  5. We so often equate being poor with being dirty and less than. Tragedy we judge people so harshly. It is amazing that these images were even taken. From a time when documenting our heritage was seen as important culturally.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is Oil Cloth on the table behind her. It was easy to wipe off with soap and water. Woops, not whip off, wipe off. I got to slow down when I do this stuff.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment