Dust Bowl by Albert Abramovitz

Dust Bowl by Albert Abramovitz

Dust Bowl

Albert Abramovitz

Title

Dust Bowl

 
Artist
Year
c. 1932  
Technique
blockprint 
Image Size
6 1/2 x 7 7/8" image 
Signature
pencil, lower right 
Edition Size
under 25 
Annotations
 
Reference
 
Paper
smooth ivory wove 
State
published 
Publisher
WPA??? 
Inventory ID
MIST102 
Price
SOLD
Description
Dust Bowl depicts a family, carrying all of their valuables, trudging along a rural road while a dust storm swirls in the background. The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s; severe drought and failure to apply dryland farming methods to prevent wind erosion caused the phenomenon. The land became worthless and families were forced to move, many headed west, hopeful of finding work in the lush farmlands, ranches, and orchards of California (e.g.The Grapes of Wrath). These Dust Bowl refugees were called Okies and faced discrimination, menial labor, and pitiable wages upon reaching California. Many of them lived in shantytowns and tents along irrigation ditches. Okie became a term of disdain used to refer to any poor Dust Bowl migrant, regardless of their state of origin.