No statistics are available regarding which images in the Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information Collection have been most frequently requested or reproduced. However, members of the Prints and Photographs Division reference staff have selected fifteen that have been regularly requested over the years. The aesthetic qualities of the images no doubt account for much of their appeal. Another contributing factor may be the amount of previous exposure the images have received in publications and in the media. For instance, Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans both published books during the 1930s that included images they made under FSA auspices, and several other standard works on the FSA-OWI documentation effort have included works by these two photographers. This exposure may partially explain why both photographers are so heavily represented in this selection of popular images.

These popular images were specially digitized for these special presentations. They are part of a larger negative series that is not yet available online. Although the other negatives in this series are not yet available in a digital format, they will be available in the future as digitization of the collection continues. New images will be added quarterly.

The reference staff also selected 15 "Staff Selections" which showcase some of their personal favorites from the collection.

View First Five Frequently Requested Images