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A Small Texas Town on a March Afternoon in 1940

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The following is a guest post by Mary Jane Appel, photo historian and author of the recently published Russell Lee: A Photographer’s Life and Legacy (Liveright, in association with the Library of Congress, 2021).

When Farm Security Administration (FSA) photographer Russell Lee drove through the small town of San Marcos, Texas on a sunny afternoon in March 1940, a boldly decorated service station caught his eye.

Secondhand tires displayed for sale. San Marcos, Texas. Photo by Russell Lee, 1940 March. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b24220
Secondhand tires displayed for sale. San Marcos, Texas. Photo by Russell Lee, 1940 March. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b24220