One of the interesting threads on the COMM 229 discussion board this week has to do with our textbook's use of photography to unpack notions of both semiotics and narrative. This dovetails nicely with a recent find from the Sandwich Public Library: a book of color photographs from the late depression years, part of the FSA/OWI (Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information) archives, now housed at the Library of Congress (click here to access their online holdings and search engine).The attached photo is part of the collection--a color shot of the office of the Brockton Enterprise which still publishes some 15 minutes north of BSC. Note the two-colored, hand-printed headline thumbnails in the corner window--the poor man's scrolling LED display!
The book, nicely titled Bound for Glory (hip points for COMM 229 students that can identify the allusion), is striking in its ability to bring color to an era that, for those of us who didn't live it, is mostly frozen in black and white. It's eye-opening to see pre-WWII farmsteads in Pie Town, NM or street scenes in Lowell, MA in living color. Do yourself a favor and see if you can find it in your town library--it's a trip.
