Depression Garden

During the Great Depression, Americans strove to stretch their finances by creating relief gardens. Francis Speight, a North Carolinian, spent most of his life working in and around Philadelphia but occasionally visited his home state during the 1930s to paint murals for New Deal programs. Although the location of this particular scene is unknown, the painting alludes to the struggles all Americans faced during the economic crisis. Nestled between rolling hills, a few figures farm the land while dark, stormy clouds cast a bleak tone over the verdant landscape. In Depression Garden, Speight presents a vision of determination and survival against the odds.