Press Kit

Bohemians on the Breadline

Roosevelt's New Deal and the creation of the Works Progress Administration brought about social, economic, and cultural changes that still ripple through American society. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the extraordinary and unexamined histories of artists Alice Neel, Augusta Savage, Georgette Seabrooke, Lenore Thomas Straus, Elizabeth Olds, and Pablita Velarde.

In this captivating group biography, Lauren Arrington profiles women who seized a unique government opportunity to produce work that challenged racism, capitalism, and inequality. Their enduring works of public art are a reminder of the turbulent and exciting lives they led—recounting love affairs, mental health crises, complicated family relationships, and evolving political affiliations.