137,489 garments with monetary value of $92,131.24
Kentucky / Works Progress Administration

Supporting her family

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Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Photo above: Original caption reads “137,489 garments with monetary value of $92,131.24 made to date in these eight counties.” (Taken in Pike County, KY. Photographer doesn’t specify the eight counties.)

From 1934 through 1941, George Goodman was director of the Works Progress Administration in Kentucky. Photographers working for him fanned out across the state and produced 5,700 images that documented people enrolled in various WPA training programs—this selection is from Pike County—as well as the construction of schools, hospitals, courthouses, libraries, and municipal buildings.

Baby outfitted in garments made in Training Work Center.
Scraps from Training Work Centers used to make toys
WPA comforter projects
Mother of two children (husband is tubercular and bed ridden) supports her family
Typical mountain worker operating loom at Training Work Center

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