Shahn Collection

WORKERS & FARMERS POSTER. From Workers to Farmers... Thanks! Poster, 1944, by Ben Shahn for the Congress of Industrial Organizations to encourage united political action by labor

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, 1944. Our Friend. Lithograph poster by Ben Shahn, 1944, published by the Political Action Committee of the CIO in support of President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Welders, or For Full Employment After the War. Poster, 1944, by Ben Shahn for the Congress of Industrial Organizations
WWII: EMPLOYMENT POSTER. Welders, or For Full Employment After the War. Poster, 1944, by Ben Shahn for the Congress of Industrial Organizations

Steel Workers Organizing Comittee. Painting for a poster (never printed), late 1930s, by Ben Shahn
SHAHN: STEEL UNION POSTER. Steel Workers Organizing Comittee. Painting for a poster (never printed), late 1930s, by Ben Shahn

Organize? With 1, 250, 000 Workers Backing Us, Of Course We Will Organize
LABOR: POSTER, 1930s. Organize? With 1, 250, 000 Workers Backing Us, Of Course We Will Organize. Original oil on canvas for a poster, late 1930s, by Ben Shahn

A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND. Lithograph poster, 1948, by Ben Shahn for the Progressive Party, satirizing the popular 1945 photograph of Harry Truman playing a piano adorned by actress Lauren Bacall;

VOTER REGISTRATION POSTER. A Congress of Industrial Organization sponsored voter registration poster by Ben Shahn, 1946

(1929-1968). American clergyman and reformer. Wood engraving, 1966, by Stefan Martin after Ben Shahn
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. (1929-1968). American clergyman and reformer. Wood engraving, 1966, by Stefan Martin after Ben Shahn

IMMIGRANTS, NYC, 1937-38. Immigrants arriving in New York City, prominent among whom are Albert Einstein and Charles Steinmetz. Detail of a mural, 1937-38, by Ben Shahn

COTTON PICKER, 1935. African American migrant workers picking cotton, Pulaski County, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn on October 1935

WEST VIRGINIA: KIMBALL, 1935. An aerial view of the town of Kimball in southern West Virginia. Photograph by Ben Shahn, October 1935

COLUMBUS: STREET, 1938. Conversation on the streets of Columbus, Ohio. Photograph by Ben Shahn, August 1938

LODGING HOUSE, 1938. Home converted to a lodging house in Marysville, Ohio. Photograph by Ben Shahn, Summer 1938

OHIO: COLUMBUS, 1938. Man stands in the entrance to a lunchroom in Columbus, Ohio. Photograph by Ben Shahn, August 1938

WOMAN IN FIELD, 1935. Woman standing in cotton field, Pulaski County, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn, 1935

NEW ORLEANS: STRIKE, 1935. Bringing in scabs in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photograph by Ben Shahn, October 1935

NATCHEZ: ADVERTISEMENT. Posters for a variety of medicines and 666, a popular malaria cure, on a barn in Natchez, Mississippi. Photograph by Ben Shahn, 1935

PENNSYLVANIA: MINER, 1935. A disabled miner in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Photograph by Ben Shahn, 1935

TENNESSEE: MEDICINE SHOW. A medicine show in Huntingdon, Tennessee. Photograph by Ben Shahn, October 1935

OHIO: FARMER, 1938. A farmer getting cleaned up for dinner during the wheat harvest on a farm in Ohio. Photograph by Ben Shahn, 1938

SHARECROPPER FAMILY, 1935. A family of sharecroppers outside their home in Little Rock, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn, October 1935

SHARECROPPERs SON, 1935. The son of a evicted and destitute sharecropper, Ozark Mountains, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn in October 1935

UNEMPLOYED MINER, 1935. An unemployed miner in the deserted mining town of Zinc, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn in October 1935

ARKANSAS: ROADSIDE, 1935. An abandoned automobile in front of a railroad crossing near a deserted mining town, Zinc, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn in October 1935

SHARECROPPER FAMILY, 1935. A family of a sharecropper standing in front of their farmhouse. Photograph by Ben Shahn in October 1935

ARKANSAS: MINING TOWN. Unemployed miners standing in front of a closed general store in the deserted mining town, Zinc, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn in October 1935

ARKANSAS: SHARECROPPER. A sharecropper washing his hands in a small water basin, Ozark Mountain, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn in October 1935

ARKANSAS: SHARECROPPERS. Sharecropper couple, Boone County, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn, October 1935

ARKANSAS: SHARECROPPER. A sharecroppers wife and daughter in front of their farmhouse, Boone County, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn, October 1935

SHARECROPPER FAMILY, 1935. An African American sharecroppers wife and child peak out a broken window, Little Rock, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn in October 1935

SHARECROPPER FAMILY, 1935. A family of an African American sharecropper in Little Rock, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn in October 1935

KENTUCKY: COAL MINERS, 1935. Coal miners in Jenkins, Kentucky. Photograph by Ben Shahn, 1935

COTTON PICKER, 1935. An African American cotton worker calculates the weight of cotton in a notebook, Little Rock, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn in October 1935

NEW ORLEANS: UNEMPLOYED, 1935. Job applicants waiting outside the offices of the Federal Employment Recovery Administration in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photographed by Ben Shahn, October 1935

REAL ESTATE OFFICE, 1938. Real estate and loan office in Marysville, Ohio. Photograph by Ben Shahn, 1938

BEN SHAHN (1898-1969). American painter, photographer and lithographer who worked under several New Deal projects. Photograph, 1938

MIGRANT CAMP, 1938. A young girl sitting in a tire in Circlevilles Hooverville, central Ohio, Photograph by Ben Shahn, 1938

COAL MINERS, 1935. Kentucky coal miners taking a work break, Jenkins, Kentucky. Photograph by Ben Shahn, October 1935

COAL MINER, 1935. Kentucky coal miner taking a smoking break, Jenkins, Kentucky. Photograph by Ben Shahn, October 1935

COAL MINER, 1935. A coal miner taking a break from working at the Consolidated Coal Company, Kentucky. Photograph by Ben Shahn, October 1935

COAL MINER VILLAGE, 1935. The heart of the largest coal region in the world, near Jenkins, Kentucky. Photograph by Ben Shahn, October 1935

ARKANSAS: SHACK, 1935. A squatters shack in Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn, October 1935

OHIO: DRUGSTORE, 1938. Sign outside a drugstore at Newark, Ohio. Photographed by Ben Shahn, 1938

FARMERs HOME, 1935. Interior of a black tenant farmers home, Louisiana. Photograph by Ben Shahn, October 1935

KENTUCKY RESIDENT, 1935. Resident of Smithland, Kentucky. Photographed September 1935 by Ben Shahn

COTTON CHECKER, 1935. An African American cotton worker calculates the weight of the cotton picked in a notebook, Pulaski County, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn in October 1935

COTTON PICKER, 1935. A migrant worker picking cotton, Pulaski County, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn on October 1935

COTTON PICKER, 1935. A young African American migrant worker picking cotton, Pulaski County, Arkansas. Photograph by Ben Shahn on October 1935

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"Shahn: A Visual Chronicle of American Labor and Politics" Step into the world of Ben Shahn, a renowned artist whose powerful works captured the essence of American labor and politics. With a staggering 1, 250, 000 workers backing his cause, organizing was inevitable. In the late 1930s, Shahn's original oil on canvas for a poster showcased this determination. During the war years, Shahn continued to inspire with his artistry. His "Welders" poster from 1944 encouraged war workers to register to vote in that year's Presidential election. The Congress of Industrial Organizations found an ally in Shahn as he created a lithograph poster supporting President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the presidential campaign. The Steel Workers Organizing Committee also sought Shahn's talent to create a painting for their poster; although it was never printed, its impact remains undeniable. In 1948, he satirized popular culture by creating "A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND, " featuring President Truman accompanied by Republican candidate Thomas E. Dewey playing piano adorned by actress Lauren Bacall. Voter registration became another important theme in Shahn's work as seen in his Congress of Industrial Organization sponsored voter registration poster from 1946. He believed that united political action between labor and farmers could bring about positive change during World War II - an idea beautifully depicted in his "WORKERS & FARMERS POSTER. " Beyond labor and politics, Shahn explored other aspects of society through his artistry. From capturing immigrants arriving in New York City alongside notable figures like Albert Einstein and Charles Steinmetz to showcasing African American migrant workers picking cotton in Arkansas - each piece told a unique story. In West Virginia's town of Kimball, both aerial views painted by Shanh transported viewers back to 1935 when life thrived amidst challenging circumstances. Ben Shanh left behind an indelible mark on America's visual history.