Holes Punched Through History

In 1935, Roy Stryker became the head of the Information Division of the U.S. government’s Farm Security Administration (FSA), documenting work done by the government to help poor farmers and their families during the Great Depression. Over the course of a decade, the scope of the FSA’s photographic subjects broadened, then transitioned to a war footing in the 1940s, becoming part of the Office of War Information. The resulting collection of more than 175,000 images remains a national treasure—a snapshot of American life during a difficult time. In the early years, Stryker himself reviewed and edited photographs mailed in by FSA photographers, and would often “kill” a photo he disapproved of (remove it from consideration for publishing) by punching a hole right through the negative. The photographers were unhappy with this destructive hole-punch method, and frequently let Stryker know, but he didn’t stop until about 1939. Recent digitization efforts have made nearly all of the FSA/OWI photos available to the public, showing defects, hole-punches, and all. Some of the punched images were duplicates, but many were unique, and are now lost.

Read more
Hints: View this page full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.

Most Recent

  • Mahmud Hams / AFP / Getty
    • In Focus
    • 12:30 AM ET
    • 35 Photos

    Photos of the Week: Pride Lights, Paddy Day, Grizzly Swim

    A new waterslide in the Czech Republic, a cat on the Algerian waterfront, a grotto reopening in Italy, burying a coronavirus victim in Russia, a wildfire in Colorado, and much more.

  • Steve Helber / AP
    • In Focus
    • July 2, 2020
    • 27 Photos

    The Statues Brought Down Since the George Floyd Protests Began

    Images of some of the dozens of statues that have been toppled, defaced, or slated for removal across the U.S. over the past month

  • Shahid Ali / AFP / Getty
    • In Focus
    • July 1, 2020
    • 18 Photos

    Photos: The Locust Swarms of 2020

    Images from hard-hit areas in Kenya, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Yemen, taken over recent months

  • Michelle Sole / Shutterstock
    • In Focus
    • June 30, 2020
    • 27 Photos

    Scenes From Antarctica

    Recent images of the Antarctic landscape, wildlife, and research facilities, as well as some of the work taking place there

Most Popular on The Atlantic

  1. Do Americans Understand How Badly They’re Doing?
  2. The Week America Lost Control of the Pandemic
  3. Believe the Polls This Time
  4. White Voters Are Abandoning Trump
  5. The 3 Weeks That Changed Everything
  6. 30 Years Ago, Romania Deprived Thousands of Babies of Human Contact
  7. ‘How Could the CDC Make That Mistake?’
  8. The Old-School Campaign to Unseat Joni Ernst
  9. The Prophecies of Q
  10. A College Degree Is No Guarantee of a Good Life
Back to Top