Social Documentary

WPA - Federal Writers Project; American Guide Series

Key West, Florida [WPA American Guide Series] [Rothstein Photographs] [1941]

New York: Hastings House, 1941.
A quintessential regional guide from the Federal Writers' Project, documenting the unique cultural and economic landscape of Key West at the close of the Depression. 

As part of the American Guide Series—often cited as the most ambitious research project in American history—this volume provides a granular look at the island city’s transition from a collapsed industrial port to a burgeoning tourist destination. Notably, the work features a sophisticated intersection of social documentary and fine art, incorporating photographs by FSA photographer Arthur Rothstein and etchings by F. Townsend Morgan.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL FEATURES
+++ Artistic Contributions: Illustrated with 11 photographs by Arthur Rothstein (Farm Security Administration) and 10 etchings by F. Townsend Morgan (Director of the Key West WPA Community Art Center).
+++ Cartography: Features detailed map endpapers specifically designed for the Key West layout.
+++ Structure: Includes specialized essays on the 'contemporary scene,' history, industry, and commerce, followed by a detailed 'Points of Interest' section.
+++ Documentation: Contains an extensive bibliography, a chronology of the Keys, and a comprehensive index. Sponsored by the Florida State Planning Board.
+++ Citations: Scharf & Schoyer, 143; CBH, 9.

CONDITION: Very Good / Very Good. Aqua-blue cloth is bright; bindings are square and tight. Text is clean, though showing an owner's address label on the front free endpaper verso and light offsetting to the preliminaries. The dust jacket is price-clipped with a darkened spine and a small closed tear on the top rear panel near the spine; it remains structurally sound and presents well in a protective sleeve.

HISTORICAL SUMMARY: THE WPA IN KEY WEST
By the mid-1930s, Key West had famously 'declared bankruptcy' and turned its administration over to the Federal Government. This guidebook is the literary result of that intervention. It captures the city in a state of reinvention, moving away from its maritime and cigar-making past toward the 'Tropical Paradise' identity it maintains today.

The inclusion of Arthur Rothstein's photography is significant; his work for the FSA typically focused on the Dust Bowl, but here he captures the weathered architecture and faces of the Southernmost City. Simultaneously, the etchings by F. Townsend Morgan provide a high-art contrast, documenting the 'Old Key West' that the WPA sought to preserve even as they modernized the city's infrastructure. This volume is a primary source for understanding New Deal-era 'cultural engineering' and the birth of modern Florida tourism.

Subjects: Key West History, Florida Keys, WPA American Guide Series, New Deal History, Arthur Rothstein Photography, F. Townsend Morgan, Florida Tourism History. Regional Guidebook, Social Documentary, First Edition, Floridiana.

Item #21672

Price: $175.00