W.P.A. Writer's Project Atlanta photographs, 1940

Summary

Creator:
United States. Works Progress Administration
Date:
1940
Extent:
0.3 Linear Feet 1 half box, 1 oversized folder
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

W.P.A. Writer's Project Atlanta photographs, ms2860, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of sixty photographs of Atlanta-related scenes, showing buildings, homes, downtown views, parks, sports, and recreation. Photographs include images of the Atlanta Municipal Airport, City Hall, Emory University, the Gone With The Wind premier, and Spelman College among others.

Biographical / historical:

The WPA Federal Writers Project was a program established in the United States in 1935 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as part of the New Deal struggle against the Great Depression. It provided jobs for unemployed writers, editors, and research workers. Directed by Henry G. Alsberg, it operated in all states and at one time employed 6,600 men and women. The American Guide series, the project's most important achievement, included guides for every state and territory (except Hawaii), as well as for Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Philadelphia; for several major highways (U.S. 1, Ocean Highway, Oregon Trail); and for scores of towns, villages, and counties. The state guides, encyclopaedic in scope, combined travel information with essays on geography, architecture, history, and commerce. The project also produced ethnic studies, folklore collections, local histories, nature studies-a total of more than 1,000 books and pamphlets. Encyclopedia Britannica Online http://www.britannica.com (Retrieved September 15, 2009)

Access and use restrictions

Preferred citation:

W.P.A. Writer's Project Atlanta photographs, ms2860, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries.