Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Russell and Jean Lee

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.lee64
Creators:
Lee, Russell, 1903-1986
Doud, Richard Keith
Lee, Jean
Dates:
1964 June 2
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
36 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Russell and Jean Lee conducted 1964 June 2, by Richard Doud, for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Russell speaks of his background and education; his early interest in photography; meeting Roy Stryker and Ben Shahn; early assignments with FSA covering floods and droughts in the Midwest; overcoming technical problems while traveling around; cameras he experimented with; working in small towns and rural areas; working under Roy Stryker. He recalls John Vachon, Arthur Rothstein, and Walker Evans. Jean speaks of her first association with the FSA and working under Paul Vanderbilt. Both give personal opinions of the value of the work produced by the FSA, and speak of feelings toward the rural people who were the focus of the FSA project.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Russell Lee (1903-1986) was a photographer with the Farm Security Administration. Jean Russell was an administrator under Paul Vanderbilt with the Farm Security Administration of Austin, Tex.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript: 35mm microfilm reel 3697 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Digital Content


More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 44 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Photography, Artistic Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Documentary photography Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arts administrators -- Texas -- Austin -- Interviews Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographers -- Texas -- Austin -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Evans, Walker, 1903-1975 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rothstein, Arthur, 1915-1985 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Vachon, John, 1914-1975 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Vanderbilt, Paul Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States. Farm Security Administration.Historical Section.Photographs Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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