Rothstein’s Key West: An FSA Photographer at Work
Rothstein’s Key West presents over 20 compelling photographs that illuminate a pivotal moment in both the career of Arthur Rothstein (1915–1985) and the history of the Florida Keys. Rothstein, one of the most influential American photojournalists of the twentieth century, began his career in 1935 as the first staff photographer for the Resettlement Administration, later incorporated into the Farm Security Administration (FSA). Through assignments between 1935 and 1940, he created powerful images that revealed the human impact of the Great Depression and highlighted the importance of federal relief efforts.
This exhibition focuses on Rothstein’s 1938 visit to Key West, a time when the island was emerging from years of economic and environmental devastation. The catastrophic 1935 hurricane had destroyed the Oversea Railway, Key West’s vital link to the mainland, triggering industrial collapse, extreme unemployment, and municipal bankruptcy. New Deal intervention helped stabilize the island and laid the foundation for a tourism-based recovery.
Arriving just as the new Overseas Highway neared completion, Rothstein recognized the significance of this transitional moment. In correspondence with his FSA supervisor, he expressed hope that renewed prosperity would not “spoil the picturesque beauty of the island nor make the natives lose their friendliness.” The more than 20 works on view capture the vulnerability, resilience, and everyday rhythms of life as residents navigated profound change.
Through Rothstein’s evocative images, Rothstein’s Key West invites visitors to witness a community on the brink of reinvention, and to reflect on the enduring power of documentary photography to reveal, preserve, and shape our understanding of history.
