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THE WAY WE WERE: CITIES OF THE WPA GUIDES

WPA American Guide Week Poster
Poster advertising American Guide Week, just a month before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Populations (U.S. Census)
1940
New York, N.Y.
Chicago, Ill.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Detroit, Mich.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Cleveland, Ohio
Baltimore, Md.
St. Louis, Mo.
Boston, Mass.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Washington, DC
San Francisco, Calif.		 2000
New York, N.Y.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Chicago, Ill.
Houston, Tex.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Phoenix, Ariz.
San Diego, Calif.
San Antonio, Tex.
Dallas, Tex.
Detroit, Mich.
San Jose, Calif.
Indianapolis, Ind.

The American Guides are truly unique publications. From 1935 to 1943 the Federal Writers Project, part of the Works Progress Administration, produced The American Guide Series. This set of books includes guides for the forty-eight states, Alaska, Puerto Rico; cities such as Washington D.C., New York, and Philadelphia; and highways including U.S. Route 1 and the Oregon Trail. They included information on the history, culture, and geography of the United States.

In addition to being important scholarly resources, the Guides are an enjoyable read. They've been used and enjoyed by such travel writers as John Steinbeck & William Least Heat-Moon. Given the popularity and reach of subject matter the original volumes are highly prized by collectors. Many of the guides have been re-issued since their originals were produced in the 1930’s and 40’s. Researchers today are using these resources for scholarlywork in disciplines such as; Ethnic Studies, History, and Geography.

Some of the first detailed writing about the lives of minorities and the working class published for a mass audience can be found in these volumes. While original editions have gone on to become treasured collectibles; reprints are readily accessible today at your local library or through book dealers, for a very reasonable cost.  We will be presenting passages and photos of the 5 largest cities in the country as of the 2000 census, allowing us to compare and contrast the conditions of those areas during the waning years of the Great Depression with conditions today.

This exhibition is of the guide entries for the five most populous cities in 1940. Notice that East Coast and industrial cities are represented while only Los Angeles is what one would consider a "sun-belt" city. Today, while these 5 cities remain among the most populous cities of the United States, Western cities have come to lead the nation in population. From San Jose, the onetime "prune capitol of the world" to Phoenix, with its well deserved (and self- imposed) title of "air-conditioning capitol" - the population shift in America is as if a tub of water has been lifted from a corner, Boston MA, and the water has been running down to the far corner, San Diego, CA.

Exhibition Curator:
Michael A. Zarro
Graduate Student, Drexel University
Winter/Spring 2007