Accession Number
2016/2.434

Title
Cattle skull, Badlands, South Dakota

Artist(s)
Arthur Rothstein

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1936

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
14 in x 14 1/4 in (35.56 cm x 36.2 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Thomas Wilson '79 and Jill Garling '80

Subject matter
This photograph represents an overhead view of a steer's skull amid a dry and cracked landscape. During the Great Depression (1929-1941), the United States' Farm Security Administration hired photographers to document the effects of the Dust Bowl, which devastated much of the central Great Plains. This photograph became one of the most iconic images produced by the FSA; however, it raised controversy when it was discovered that Rothstein adjusted the position of the skull and experimented with the lighting. Critics of Roosevelt's administation accused Rothstein of doctoring his images in order to manipulate public opinion in support of the New Deal. Additionally, this image was produced several months before the drought began and in an already arid region of the country. Nevertheless, the photograph became a potent symbol of the Dust Bowl and the destruction that it caused. 
 

Physical Description
A cow skull on parched and cracked ground.

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Primary Object Type
black and white print

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
cows (mammals)
deserts
drought
skulls (skeleton components)