The American Vernacular

Evans’ photographic work for the FSA was not only an assignment but a personal journey. Through his images he reflects a harsh definition of America as fragmented and corrupt. As described by fellow FSA photographer Dorothea Lange, Evans himself and his photograph possessed a sort of “bitter edge,” perhaps a realization of the severe present state of the United States that may or may not improve (Guimond 121). Evans resented the materialistic, capitalistic condition of the nation and believed that big business was much too highly favored over the individual (Szarkowski). In response, his photography is filled with images of decay and destruction, visual metaphors for the corruption he was witnessing in the American establishment. As contemporary Henri Cartier-Bresson stated, “Evans was obsessed by dilapidation and social decline” (39). Often, he would display photos in pairs, using the second to portray a decayed version of the first image (Guimond 130). While traveling in South Carolina, Evans focused on creating images of churches and businesses against bleak landscapes to evoke the contrast between the miserable pleasant and memorable past (Mellow 303). In addition, Evans portrayed a divided America by photographing primarily individual portraits. The images of the disjointed individuals mirror the confused and fearful state of Americans during the Depression (Guimond 101). As Evans collected more and more portraits, he no doubt pondered the impossibility of creating a whole out of such discontinuous individuals (Cartier-Bresson 39).

The American “vernacular” was Evans’ claimed interested, as opposed to finished, polished subjects (Guimond 213). Evans’ photography uses an original documentary style, allowing Evans to address the impacts of the Depression like big government take over and loss of individual purchasing power and independence. Evans glorified anonymity and gave dignity and recognition to the forgotten man. Evans believed that “There are moment and moments in history, and we do not need military battles to provide the images of conflicts…But we do need more than the illustrations in the morning papers of our period” (Cartier-Bresson 13). He believed in the necessity of photography to convey reality to the common man and therefore sparked a major change in American photography (Cartier-Bresson 11).

Evans avoided convoluted and glamorous photography, choosing to address the most normal and commonplace scenes (Szarkowski). He declared that the photographer must learn to look beyond art museums and into the ordinary city streets to see his art (Evans). Evans believed that everyday, anonymous individuals were “the proper measure of man.” Indeed, he specifically photographed people and places normally unnoticed as an attack on established institutions of fame and power (Rosenheim 212). As farmers and other Americans lost their independence because of the Depression, Evans historical, documentary style gave dignity to his subjects and offered factual descriptions of their situations, giving the forgotten man a new voice (Guimond 135, 216). Evans’ iconic photo of Alli Mae Burroughs is exemplary on this front. The composition of the image is basic: just a face in front of bare wood boards; the expression on her face is questioning and frank. Even through pursed lips, Alli Mae speaks volumes as to both the harsh reality of the Depression and the quiet power of American individuality. In this image and others like it, Evans revolutionizes photography and gives rise to the art of photojournalism.