‘The Highest Standard of Living’ and the Flood of 1937

Photograph by Margaret Bourke-White, "At the Time of the Louisville Flood." 1937. LIFE magazine.

This photo, titled “At the Time of the Louisville Flood”, was taken by Margaret Bourke-White in 1937 for a LIFE magazine assignment for the Ohio River Floods that devastated Louisville and surrounding areas. This image appeared in LIFE magazine along with several others depicting the flooded area and displaced inhabitants. LIFE has posted these on line along with several others not originally published. 

If you have studied American history during the Great Depression, then you have undoubtedly seen this image. It has been used time and time again to illustrate the divide between the haves and have-nots, rich and poor, and of course black and white. However, as the accompanying LIFE essay online states; while this photo was taken during the depression the original assignment intent was for Bourke-White to cover the natural disaster of the flood. But like any natural disaster or other major tragedy that impacts society, the class lines become highlighted when resources are tight and access is limited.

When searching for information on the billboard, it is impossible not to come across people using this image in discussions about race and inequality during the Great Depression and in other instances as well. These themes are easy to take from this isolated image, but when viewed in the context of the whole collection (even just the ones originally published), the whole becomes more about the human suffering and relief efforts during the time of a disaster. In Susan Sontag’s article (2002) she states, “alter the caption: alter the use of these deaths” (p. 3). So many times this image has been used to stand for the Great Depression. When explaining the impact of this image, Ben Cosgrove (editor of LIFE.com), notes that “it’s worth recalling that it was, after all, made during one specific assignment, covering one specific disaster” (life.time.com). To layer this meaning on to this particular photograph may not be completely inaccurate, surely Bourke-White had some inkling that the juxtaposition in this photograph stood for more than the flood. It is important though for viewers and particularly users of the image to pass on a message or lesson to take the original intent into consideration. 

The striking contrast between the “perfect family” depicted on the billboard and the line of hungry and exhausted men and women in the forefront is made even more absurd when one knows some of the history about the producers of the advertisement. During the 1930s the National Association of Manufactures (NAM) became experts in public relations campaigns. Fiercely advocating against Roosevelt’s New Deal programs for the sake of business and industry, the NAM created this “No Way Like the American Way” billboard along with others (Freedom, Highest Wages, and Shortest Working Hours). The contrast of people standing in line for support from their local charities and/or government agencies against the backdrop of this anti-government/pro-business campaign is also a harsh message. 

Finally, Sontag (2002) discusses the "iconography of suffering" (p. 7). She points out that most imagery depicting suffering is at the hands of other (divine or human) not the result of natural or accidental tragedy. This idea can be applied to the "Highest Standard of Living" image, as so many have remembered it not as an image of a natural disaster, but as an image of the economic divide. In this case, it is extremely difficult to separate the natural disaster suffering from the suffering that many of the people in these images were already likely enduring. 

Works Cited:

Cosgrove, Ben. “Behind the picture: The American way photos from the great Ohio flood of 1937.” LIFE Magazine. Accessed November 24, 2012. http://life.time.com/behind-the-picture/the-american-way-photos-from-the-great-ohio-river-flood-of-1937/#ixzz2C3aDSV6Q

Sontag, Susan. "Looking at War." The New Yorker December (2002): 1-19.