The Great Depression, a landmark in American history, stands out because of its devastating impact on the isolated subculture of the rural South. In the summer of 1936, Fortune Magazine commissioned photographer Walker Evans and journalist James Agee to document the plight of Depression-era sharecroppers, specifically in rural Alabama. The magazine rejected their efforts, which led to the publication of the images and text in the 1941 book "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men." Their collaboration is on display at the University of Michigan Museum of Art and will through Dec. 18. Considered a landmark in photojournalism, this exhibit not only examines the socio-economic issues of rural sharecroppers, but also is in dialogue with the concept of "objective journalism."

Through his series of black-and-white photos, Evans places the viewer within the lives of the sharecroppers, but wrestles with the problem of using the camera to objectively document real events, emotions and people with an innately subjective camera.

Writing for a wealthier class far removed from his subjects, Evans was cognizant not to impose the belief systems of the well-educated and the wealthy upon his subjects.

One of the exhibit's centerpieces, the portrait of Allie Mae Burroughs, is the first image to greet visitors. The picture is so striking because the woman's gaze holds an emotional, universal quality that transcends her own situation. While Evans's devotion to maintaining a distance from his subjects is laudable, images such as this are a testament to the ability of a photo to take on a life of its own. The intensity of the image is tangible even to the uninformed viewer.

The magazine's commission included an accompanying article from Agee. The exhibit references this text on several occasions, but lengthy excerpts are absent. While it's true the book kept the article separate from the images to preserve separate dialogues, Agee's contribution was equally important. Instead of his original words, the museum used its own descriptions and explanations as a part of the exhibit. Several original documents, such as drafts and letters were displayed, but they lacked any noticeable contribution to the exhibit. This decision denies the viewer the authenticity of Agee's documentation, as well as another medium through which to interpret this period of American history.

Evans was afraid that the well-educated and the wealthy would view his images with their own ideas of art and beauty, which was not the point of his work. That situation is mirrored by the pictures' display in the University museum; sophisticated viewers must understand that while these images are works of art in and of themselves, the original context cannot be forgotten.

Similar to the published book, the museum duplicates a dichotomy between the wealthy and the poor by contrasting several rural images with those of the wealthy landowner and prosperous nearby town.

Though the original collection was not created as a social critique, it can be read as such. The humanity of these struggling Alabama residents culminates in two final images showing the grave of a child with an empty plate placed on top of it next to a shot of a tree with gourd birdhouses.

This exhibit presents Evans's images as works of art. Though that might contrast with his original intent, the images still carry their own weight outside of an educated viewpoint. The exhibit has a universal appeal to the educated, the artist, the journalist and the general public.