Halloween party at Shafter migrant camp, California
| Artist | Dorothea Lange (American, 1895–1965) |
|---|---|
| Title | Halloween party at Shafter migrant camp, California |
| Date | November 1938 |
| Medium | Gelatin silver print |
| Dimensions | Image: 9 5/8 × 7 5/16 in. (24.4 × 18.5 cm) Sheet: 10 × 8 1/8 in. (25.4 × 20.6 cm) |
| Credit Line | Henry Holmes Smith Archive, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 79.200.XX.8.15 |
| This artwork is currently off display. You may be able to see this artwork by filling out an art viewing room request. | |
A vertical black-and-white photograph depicts a group of people dancing in a large room. In the foreground, a couple dances in a spinning motion and harsh shadows are cast on the ground. The man faces the camera; he wears patched denim pants, a white shirt, an open suit jacket, and a brimmed hat.
During the Great Depression, music helpted to bring communities together and offered fun, diversion, and emotional support during economic hard times. There was also a growing interest in traditional music, spurred by the efforts of ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, who collected thousands of field recordings for the Archive of American Folk Song. "Race records," "hillybilly," and "ethnic" music gained popularity.
By the 1940s swing music heralded a move away from the music of America's rural past to the energized sounds of an industrialized urban society. The Farm Security Administration (FSA) photographs in this kiosk illustrate some of these trends. (exhibited with 200.XX.1.20, 200.XX.1.238, 200.XX.7.21, 200.XX.1.71, and 200.XX.3.29)
| Publisher | Farm Security Administration |
|---|
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"Halloween party at Shafter migrant camp, California | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=79.200.XX.8.15