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

  • Veronica Cardenas / Reuters
    • In Focus
    • 12:30 AM ET
    • 35 Photos

    Photos of the Week: Firefighting Goats, Lake Chair, Saint Javelin

    A fancy-dress evening in Versailles, a destroyed industrial area in Ukraine, a mass wedding on the Uyuni Salt Flat, mourning families in Texas, Fleet Week in New York City, and much more

  • Qassem Al-Kaabi / AFP / Getty
    • In Focus
    • May 23, 2022
    • 16 Photos

    Photos: Sandstorms Sweep Across Parts of the Middle East

    A series of sandstorms has sent thousands to hospitals with breathing problems, and caused the closure of airports, schools, and government offices.

  • Sergione Infuso / Corbis via Getty
    • In Focus
    • May 20, 2022
    • 35 Photos

    Photos of the Week: Garbage Suit, Mesquite Heat, Bog Commander

    A fashion show in Burkina Faso, images from battlefields in Ukraine, the Witches and Wizards Convention in Brazil, a sandstorm in Iraq, electric-scooter racing in England, and much more

  • Caitlin Ochs / Reuters
    • In Focus
    • May 18, 2022
    • 21 Photos

    Water Levels in Lake Mead Reach Record Lows

    Images of Lake Mead, which has reached its lowest water levels since the 1930s

Most Popular on The Atlantic

  1. You Are Going to Get COVID Again … And Again … And Again
  2. Rebound COVID Is Just the Start of Paxlovid’s Mysteries
  3. 78 Minutes
  4. A Culture That Kills Its Children Has No Future
  5. The Ludicrous Beauty of Top Gun: Maverick
  6. The Two Choices That Keep a Midlife Crisis at Bay
  7. When Stranger Things Finally Gave Its Villain a Voice
  8. The Real Reason America Doesn’t Have Gun Control
  9. The Hinduization of India Is Nearly Complete
  10. The People Who Hate People
Back to Top