In the mid-20th century photography emerged as a powerful new art form. No two people captured the Roosevelt era more successfully than Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange, although they appear to have worked at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Adams emerged as the most famous landscape photographer of all time, and Lange was the woman who essentially created the field of “documentary photography” as she used her lens to focus on the poor, the neglected, and the disposed. Both worked out of the San Francisco Bay area, and they knew each other well. They helped create Aperture magazine, the most influential photography magazine of its time.

Lange is best known for her with the Farm Services Administration documenting the lives of Americans during the Great Depression. Adams is best known for his astounding images of the Sierra Nevadas and other wilderness areas. But they overlapped in documenting a dark time – the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Their work is both haunting and historic and makes them the most significant photographers of the Roosevelt era.

This lecture is presented by Fireside Chats organizer Paul M. Sparrow. Sparrow is a writer, historical consultant, and the former Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Before moving to the FDR Library, he was the Deputy Director and Senior Vice President at the Newseum in Washington, DC. He is the author of the book, Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR's War of Words With Charles Lindbergh—and the Battle to Save Democracy.

President Franklin Roosevelt broadcast his first Fireside Chat on March 12th, 1933, just eight days after his inauguration. During his 12 years in office he delivered dozens of Fireside Chats, guiding America through the Great Depression, and guiding a global audience through the horrors of World War Two. FDR’s Fireside Chats were a new form of political communication, using radio to connect with Americans in an intimate setting – right in their living rooms. His compelling and persuasive broadcasts encouraged Americans to believe in democracy and its future. Paul Sparrow, a nationally recognized expert on Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the former director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, hosts this series of programs that build on the foundation laid by FDR’s Fireside Chats, and find their relevance to our world today.

NOTE: this session is available to attend in-person or through Zoom. You MUST REGISTER and indicate which you prefer. Each in-person attendee must register separately.

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Basic written instructions for using Zoom may be found here and a brief video tutorial may be found here. Closed captioning is available for all our sessions. Information on enabling closed captioning in Zoom may be found here.