Newton Steel Strike Press Photographs

June 1937. Photograph. Item #51582

Three vintage gelatin silver prints of the Newton Steel Strike. In June 1937, the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC) struck the steel plant in Monroe, Michigan, southeast of Ann Arbor, on the shores of Lake Eire. The mayor of the town deputized several hundred men as special police to break the strike. The SWOC reacted by blockading the plant. These photographs depict the special police attacking the strikers on June 10. The plant reopened that day, and while the strike went on sporadically, Newton Steel continued. The images are 1) 10 by 8 inches, captioned 'Vigilantes await word to move on the barrier' on the verso (back). At the center of the image, a knot of men, each wearing armbands, hold clubs in the air. Townspeople and non-striking workers mill around them. 2) 9 by 7 inches, captioned 'Flight' on the verso (back). A tear gas bomb has just detonated at the upper left of the image and parts of the crowd, suddenly aware of the attach, are just beginning to run. Policemen and armband-wearing special deputies are visible in the background. This image, as an AP Wirephoto, appeared on the front page of the Oakland Tribune on June 11, 1937 (this is an original photograph, not a wire photo). 3) 10 by 8 inches, captioned 'Wives of strikers show they are good 'gas eaters'' on the verso (back). This shows a similar view to the second photo, but the strikers' blockade line is filled with tear gas and most of the workers have fled. A handful of men and women stand in the foreground, rags over their mouths and noses. Some carry makeshift weapons--sticks and boards. A large group of club-carrying strike breakers has gathered in the distance. These are three powerful images taken during the thick of the action. All three photographs have date stamps, handwritten or typed captions, and layout instructions on the verso (back). Some cracking to surface and spotting, but generally very good, clear images.

Price: $350.00