The Bitter Years: Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans Photographs from the Martin Z. Margulies Collection

Originating as a tribute to the 1962 Bitter Years photography exhibition curated by the illustrious Edward Steichen for the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the current exhibition organized by the Margulies Collection, features photographs by renowned American photographers Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Marion Post Wolcott, Jack Delano, and others who launched their careers as documentarians of the Great Depression. Working for the Farm Security Administration, a branch of Roosevelt’s New Deal program, these photographers were hired to capture the social landscape of the country, highlighting the challenges facing Americans between 1935 and 1944. As one photographer articulated, “the idea is to show New York to Texans and Texas to New Yorkers.” The Martin Z. Margulies Photography Collection includes over 100 vintage photographs from the Farm Security Administration, sixty-five were selected for this exhibition, which also features a series of Polaroids produced by Walker Evans in 1973 and '74 returning to themes found in the earlier works.

This exhibition is co-curated by Katherine Hinds, chief curator, and Jeanie Ambrosio, associate curator of The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse. The presentation at the Gibbes is supported by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. Jane Smith Turner Foundation, and the Gibbes Women's Council.