Jack Delano (born Jacob Ovcharov; 1914–1997) was an accomplished photographer who worked for the Works Progress Administration, United Fund, and most notably, the Farm Security Administration (FSA). Additionally, he was a cartoonist, poet, moviemaker, professor, and architect who used Puerto Rican folk material in his compositions.
Delano had completed several photo essays on American industry preparing for war by the time the United States entered WWII. In 1943, he was drafted into the Air Force and served in the South Pacific from 1943 to 1946. During his service in the military, he continued to document his experiences through films and photographs. As a captain, Delano moved to Puerto Rico with his wife, Irene (a second cousin to fellow photographer Ben Shahn), a land they had both fallen in love with.
During the early 1940s, Delano took these stunning photographs documenting life in the United States. Rob van den Berg colorized these photographs.
