The Photographic Section of the WPA Information Division in Washington, D.C. was responsible for obtaining and supplying photographs to the WPA and the public for use in progress reports, magazines, newspapers, other publications, exhibits, and in general to give information on WPA activities as graphically as possible. The camera was to be used as one of the most helpful aids in the work of the Information Division. It was a continuing responsibility to have good photographs to show improvements resulting from the work of the WPA. Pictures were useful both for record purposes and for public relations. Photos were sent to the Photographic Section from the states and the central office also had their own photographers who were sent out to take pictures across the country. The prints in this series were used as a photographic index, one characterized at the time as being "one of the most efficient photographic indexes in existence". They are arranged into a subject series, a so-called `publicity' series, and a state series. Prints of a uniform size, usually 4"x5", were mounted or printed on 5"x8" cards on which were typed the subject, state, locality, negative number, date, and photographer's initials if he was one of the DC office photographers. This file was used as a reference collection for supplying pictures for use by the WPA and the public. The Information Division use the most photos via its Reports, Exhibits and Periodicals Sections. Other WPA users included the Women's and Professional Division, the Federal Art, Music and Writers Projects, NYA, and others. The overworked staff of the Photo Section produced copy prints and negatives in numbers sometimes averaging 2,500 a month. The main negative file corresponds to the print file and includes original, copy and direct duplicate negatives. The original sizes range from 35mm (see 69-NN) to 4"x5", also 5"x7" and 8"x10". There are 110- 4"x5" glassnegatives interfiled with the rest. The original film was diacetate and was copied on direct duplicate film in 1987. The photographs show the entire range of WPA activities and projects in all 50 states and D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The print file includes photos of airports, the arts, conservation, education, food and cooking, emergencies, historical restorations, housing, labor, production, public buildings, public health, utilities, recreation, research, social and recreational facilities, sociological, defense, administrative, personalities, industry, signs, photo stories, black and exhibits. People shown include WPA officials, the Roosevelts', Jack Dempsey, Leopold Stokowski, Henry Wallace, Lady Astor, Fiorello LaGuardia, Mary Bethume, and Helen Keller. In 1939 the WPA Photo Section changed into the FWA Information Division's Photo Section along with the other components of the FWA and the Section did photographic work afterwards for the WPA, PWA, FWA, PRA, PBA, and USHA (see 69-PWA, R, B, F, H). After the WPA Information Division closed in 1942, the FWA continued the photo work and files from then on and thus a similar print file is in Record Group 162.
