The People's World Photograph Collection consists of approximately 6,000 photographs used in People's World, a grassroots publication affiliated with the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA). The photographs, along with a small selection of cartoons and artwork, highlight social and political issues and events of the 20th century, with the views of the newspaper aligning with the CPUSA's policies on topics such as civil rights, labor, immigration, the peace movement, poverty, and unemployment. The photographs, the bulk of which span the years 1930 to 1990, comprise predominantly black and white prints gathered from a variety of sources including government agencies, photographic studios, individual photographers, stock image companies, and news agencies, while many of the cartoons and artwork were created by People's World editor and artist Pele deLappe.

The West Coast-based People's World was founded on January 1, 1938 as a daily grassroots newspaper affiliated with the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). Published in San Francisco, People's World circulated up and down the West Coast and was financed entirely by subscription. Its self-stated purpose was to represent the interests, causes and struggles of the common people under the banner "For Security, Democracy and Peace." The paper's articles and photographs heralded social change, focusing on such issues as equality, civil rights, labor, and immigration. In the late 1950s, in response to strong anti-Communist propaganda led by Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, the readership of People's World declined and the paper was forced to go to a weekly schedule. In 1986 it returned to being a daily after it merged with Daily World. The resulting People's Daily World continued to serve as the political voice of the Communist Party.

22 cubic ft. (45 boxes)

Copyright has not been assigned to the Labor Archives and Research Center. All requests for permission to publish or quote from materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Labor Archives and Research Center as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Collection is open for research.