CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving from Artbook | D.A.P.

On this quintessentially American holiday, both beloved and fraught, we honor the importance and beauty of gathering. At a time when our culture may seem more divided than ever, and more focused on consumption than connection, we take joy in this family photograph from Reel Art Press’s new book on FSA-era denim—the quintessentially American fabric. The image is captioned: “Feggen Jones lived with 14 children on an 86-acre farm purchased through the FSA. He had two cows, three mules, four hogs, 200 chickens, two dogs and a cat. He owned a Ford truck and an Oldsmobile sedan. His cash crop was seven acres of tobacco and he also grew five acres of cotton, seven acres of wheat, 12 acres of corn and two acres of vegetable garden. Jones was formerly a sharecropper in this area and was obviously a very busy fellow but I am sure he got a lot of help from his many kids. His OshKosh overalls look in pretty good condition considering.” Zebulon, North Carolina, March 1942.