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67 Colorized Photos Captured Way More Than Expected
Colorized historical photos | May 18, 2020
Oregon, August 1939. Unemployed lumber worker goes with his wife to the bean harvest. Social Security number tattooed on his arm identifies him as Thomas Cave.
Hailing from Klamath Falls, Oregon, Thomas Cave and his wife Annie were one of many people who found themselves down on their luck during the Great Depression. According to photographer Dorothea Lange, the Caves had worked for 52 weeks straight earning $550 total (about $10,000 today) and after renting a small apartment for $12 a month they both found themselves without a job.
Cave’s Social Security tattoo was a thing of necessity for the 27 year old migrant worker. The Social Security Act was established only four months before this photo was taken and it provided economic relief for those who joined in, however to do so a person had to be assigned a social security number.
In order to keep from forgetting his Social Security Number Cave had it tattooed on his bicep. Cave wasn’t alone in doing this, in 1937 many people found it to be helpful to have their numbers permanently etched onto their bodies.
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