"A Free for All in Tennessee Labor Dispute"
Times Wide World Photos
United States, active 1919–1941
1937
A gelatin silver photograph that freezes a violent street confrontation during a 1937 Tennessee labor dispute, made to document and dramatize the human stakes of industrial conflict.
What first hits you is the choreography of bodies—hands gripping faces, a man lunging with his coat thrown open, and sharp contrasts of light and shadow that make the scene feel both cinematic and urgently real.
As an example of Depression-era photojournalism, it made visible the tensions of labor struggle and helped shape how newspapers used striking, action-filled images to record social conflicts and influence public awareness.
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
7 1/16 × 9 3/16" (18 × 23.3 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The New York Times Collection
Accession
2181.2001
Palette
Exhibitions
