Jack
Delano,
born
Jacob
Ovcharov
in
a
small
village
in
Ukraine
(then
Russian
Empire)
in
1914,
made
images
that
focused
on
the
honesty
and
dignity
of
the
Everyman. “To
do
justice
to
the
subject
has
always
been
my
main
concern,”
he
wrote
in
his
autobiography,
a
goal
that
made
him
a
perfect
fit
for
the
Farm
Security
Administration
(FSA)
photography
program.
Hired
in
1940,
Delano
quickly
became
known
for
his
striking
compositions
and
sensitivity
to
his
subjects.
His
wife
Irene
later
said, "I
just
don't
think
there
was
a
time
that
[Jack] worked
for
Farm
Security
that
he
just
wasn't
completely
absorbed
in... Read More
it,
and
felt
that
we
were
performing
a
great
mission."
Like
many
of
the
FSA
photographers—including
Marion
Post
Wolcott
and
Dorothea
Lange—Delano
traveled
the
United
States
documenting
Americana
in
all
its
forms.
As
part
of
the
FSA
project,
Delano
traveled
to
Puerto
Rico
in
1941.
He
fell
in
love
with
the
region
and
settled
there
permanently
in
1946. He
and
his
wife
Irene
worked
in
the
Community
Division
of
the
Department
of
Public
Education
while
living
there,
producing
films
(for
many
of
which
Delano
composed
the
score).
He
passed
away
in
Puerto
Rico
in
1997
at
the
age
of
83.