Russell Lee Collection

Mrs. Cleaver is raising five sons on new farm, Malheur County, Oregon, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Mrs. Cleaver is raising five sons on new farm. Malheur County, Oregon

George Cleaver who is trying to develop 177 acres of raw land, Malheur County, Oregon, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
George Cleaver who is trying to develop 177 acres of raw land. He has five sons. Malheur County, Oregon

"Pit and tools for rent--work on your own", U. S. 99, Fresno County, California, 1939
U.S. 99. Fresno County. " Pit and tools for rent--work on your own." California. [ Garage; Electric Welding ]

Grain elevator along railroad yard, North Platte, Nebraska, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Grain elevator along railroad yard. North Platte, Nebraska. [Sign: T.B. Hord Grain Co. Coal Hay and Feed. Union Pacific steam locomotive]

Saturday afternoon- San Augustine, Texas, 1939. Creator: Russell Lee
Saturday afternoon- San Augustine, Texas, 1939

Poster in agricultural exhibit. South Louisiana State Fair, Donaldsonville, Louisiana, 1938-10. Creator: Russell Lee
Poster in agricultural exhibit. South Louisiana State Fair, Donaldsonville, Louisiana, 1938-10

Poster in agricultural exhibit. South Louisana Fair, Donaldsonville, Louisiana, 1938-10. Creator: Russell Lee
Poster in agricultural exhibit. South Louisana Fair, Donaldsonville, Louisiana, 1938-10

Poster in drugstore window, Syracuse, Kansas, 1939-08. Creator: Russell Lee
Poster in drugstore window, Syracuse, Kansas, 1939-08

Mexican boys looking at movie poster, San Antonio, Texas, 1939-03. Creator: Russell Lee
Mexican boys looking at movie poster, San Antonio, Texas, 1939-03

Poster in real estate window, Harlingen, Texas, 1939-02. Creator: Russell Lee
Poster in real estate window, Harlingen, Texas, 1939-02

Poster in farmhome, Transylvania Project, Louisiana, 1939-01. Creator: Russell Lee
Poster in farmhome, Transylvania Project, Louisiana, 1939-01

Posters and decorations in combined general store and post office, Olga, Louisiana, 1938-09. Creator: Russell Lee
Posters and decorations in combined general store and post office, Olga, Louisiana, 1938-09

Children looking at posters in front of movie, Saturday, Steele, Missouri, 1938-08. Creator: Russell Lee
Children looking at posters in front of movie, Saturday, Steele, Missouri, 1938-08

Mass meeting poster. Burleigh County, North Dakota, 1937-08. Creator: Russell Lee
Mass meeting poster. Burleigh County, North Dakota, 1937-08

Filipinos cutting lettuce, near Westmorland, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near Westmorland. Filipinos cutting lettuce. California

Farm woman, Tenant Purchase applicant, Stockton, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farm woman. Stockton, California. Tenant Purchase applicant

Horse and wagon is still a common means of transportation... Southeast Missouri Farms, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Horse and wagon is still a common means of transportation. Family coming from town on a Saturday afternoon. Southeast Missouri Farms

Large-scale pea fields, near San Juan Bautista, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near San Juan Bautista, California. Large-scale pea fields

Itinerant worker on U.S. 101 near San Luis Obispo, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
On U.S. 101 near San Luis Obispo, California. Itinerant worker. Not the old "Bindle-Stiff" type

Cotton pickers emptying sacks, Kern County, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Kern County, California. Cotton pickers emptying sacks at eleven a.m. Stopped from further work for the day by rain

Warehouse used as distributing office for FSA relief grants, Bakersfield, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Warehouse used as distributing office for Farm Security Administration (FSA) relief grants of commodities to destitute farm labor families. Bakersfield, California

Wife of Farm Security Administration rural rehabilitation client, Tulare County, California, 1938
Wife of Farm Security Administration rural rehabilitation client. Tulare County, California

Main street storefront, Chickasaw, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Main street storefront, Chickasaw, Oklahoma. This is a region from which hundreds of farm families have fled to the west. ['Loans - We Buy & Sell Clothing Luggage Guns etc - Used Clothing']

Well, Center County, Oklahoma, belonging to tenant farmer, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Well, Center County, Oklahoma, belonging to tenant farmer

Corn, Washington County, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Corn. Washington County, Mississippi

Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait...Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait for use on their farms to control the pest. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Home of a dust bowl refugee in California, Imperial County, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Home of a dust bowl refugee in California. Imperial County

Replanting chili plants on a Japanese-owned ranch, desert agriculture, Imperial Valley, CA, 1937
Desert agriculture. Brushed chili field. Replanting chili plants on a Japanese-owned ranch. Imperial Valley, California

Replanting chili plants on a Japanese-owned ranch, desert agriculture, Imperial Valley, CA, 1937
Desert agriculture. Brushed chili field. Replanting chili plants on a Japanese-owned ranch. Imperial Valley, California

Capped cantaloupe, Imperial Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Capped cantaloupe. Imperial Valley, California

Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas. The people have left their home and connections in South Texas, and hope to reach the Arkansas Delta for work in the cotton fields. Penniless people

Cradling wheat near Sperryville, Virginia, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cradling wheat near Sperryville, Virginia. A hand binder follows the mower. These men had never heard of a combine harvester. "Sure would like to see that." Their father used a reap hook

Cherry pickers near Millville, New Jersey, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cherry pickers near Millville, New Jersey. The cherry crop is harvested by local families, men, women and children

Once a Missouri farmer, now a migratory farm laborer on the Pacific Coast, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Once a Missouri farmer, now a migratory farm laborer on the Pacific Coast. California

Filipinos cutting lettuce, near Westmorland, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near Westmorland. Filipinos cutting lettuce. California

Farm Security Administration rural rehabilitation client, Tulare County, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farm Security Administration rural rehabilitation client, Tulare County, California, consulting with county supervisor. He and his family of seven were on relief

Tractors on Lake Dick project, Arkansas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tractors on Lake Dick project, Arkansas

Sharecropper family near Hazlehurst, Georgia, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Sharecropper family near Hazlehurst, Georgia

Careyville, northern Florida, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Careyville, northern Florida. The mill closed down January 1, 1937 and the occupants of these houses were dispersed

Migrants tents...along the right of way of the southern pacific, near Fresno, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near Fresno, California. Migrants tents are a common sight along the right of way of the Southern Pacific. [Signs: Railroad Crossing, End of Double Track']

Drought refugees stopped along the highway near Lordsburg, New Mexico, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Drought refugees stopped along the highway near Lordsburg, New Mexico

Car of drought refugee on edge of carrot field in the Coachella Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Car of drought refugee on edge of carrot field in the Coachella Valley. California

Migrant family on U.S. Highway 99 between Bakersfield and Famoso, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant family on U.S. Highway 99 between Bakersfield and Famoso, California. Note: the photographer passed twenty-eight cars of this type while driving thirty-five miles between 9:00 and 9

Cotton picking in south Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cotton picking in south Texas

Hoe culture in the South, Near Eutaw, Alabama, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Hoe culture in the South. Near Eutaw, Alabama

The model house nears completion, Hightstown, New Jersey, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Hightstown, New Jersey. The model house nears completion. Note landscaping

Citrus workers in winter quarters, near Lindsay, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near Lindsay, California. Citrus workers in winter quarters

Oklahoma City state capitol, literally built on oil, Oklahoma, 1938. Creators: Dorothea Lange, Constance Whitney Warren
Oklahoma City state capitol, literally built on oil. Oklahoma. [Bronze sculpture: Tribute To Range Riders by Constance Whitney Warren]

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Russell Lee, a renowned photographer, captured the essence of rural America through his lens. In 1939, he documented Mrs. Cleaver's struggle as she raised her five sons on a new farm in Malheur County, Oregon. The images depict the challenges they faced on their journey to establish themselves in this unfamiliar territory. Meanwhile, George Cleaver was determined to develop 177 acres of raw land in the same county during that time. Lee's photographs showcase his relentless efforts and unwavering spirit as he worked tirelessly to transform the barren landscape into something fruitful. Lee's talent extended beyond Oregon; he also traveled to Person County, North Carolina where he captured an image of a rail fence with poor barbed wire fencing in the foreground. This photograph serves as a reminder of the hardships faced by farmers across different regions during that era. In 1942, Lee turned his attention towards Butte and Stillwater County in Montana. He documented scenes from scrap and salvage depots while showcasing development at mining sites like Mouat Chromite mine and Ben Bow Mill for Metal Reserves Chromite development. These photographs shed light on the industrial growth happening amidst World War II. Lee also focused on ranching life during this period - cattle waiting to be weighed before being trailed in Beaverhead County and cattle corralled on ranches within Montana's vast landscapes. Additionally, he captured moments between shepherds and their horses or dogs while tending to their flocks on Gravelly Range in Madison County. Through Russell Lee's captivating photography, we gain insight into various aspects of American life during these tumultuous times - from farming struggles to industrial developments and rural ranching communities. His work continues to serve as a testament to resilience and perseverance amidst adversity.