Margaret Bourke-White was one of the first successful woman
photojournalists. In January 1937, while she was working for
Life magazine, the Ohio River flooded the city and surrounding areas of Louisville, Kentucky. Bourke-White was sent to Louisville to take pictures of the different communities affected by the flood. Bourke-White composed this photograph to highlight the contrast between the African American survivors of the flood as they waited in line for help, and the imaginary white family in the car with their dog, enjoying the “World’s Highest Standard of Living…The American Way."
