Series three contains material created during the 1930s. As in the collection as a whole, the 1930s material includes a wide variety of clients and subjects.

Of special interest in this series are images documenting the Great Depression, including the Hooverville on the St. Louis riverfront, lines of men waiting for work, exterior views of Father Dempsey’s Hotels, fundraisers for the Welcome Inn, and the Welcome Inn splash pool for children.

Sievers Studio captured many activities of daily life including family celebrations such as holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, and religious rites of passage; events held by churches, synagogues, clubs, and fraternal organizations; banquets and dinners; and funerals. Funeral photographs mostly show open caskets surrounded by large floral arrangements. Of note are photographs showing activities in the Jewish community, including Confirmation classes and other activities at local synagogues, families celebrating Passover Seder, and the visit of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, an influential figure in the development of Reform Judaism and an early leader in the U. S. Zionist movement. Sievers Studio also shot portraits of individuals and groups, both in the studio and on location. These include graduating classes and other school groups; sports teams, including company sponsored teams and school teams; and employees and other business groups.

Photographs in this series document growth and change in many businesses and industries, particularly the automobile industry. These photographs show the spread of service stations and repair shops and the activities of prominent St. Louis automobile dealerships, such as the Weber Implement and Automobile Company, L. M. Stewart, Mount City Motors, Arthur R. Lindburg, and Fred F. Vincel, Inc. Photographs also show employees, executives, and vehicles from Chrysler and General Motors. Other business-related photographs show the growth of the film industry and local theaters such as Loew’s State Theatre, Fox Theatre, and others; the alternative products sold by Anheuser-Busch during Prohibition; and Monsanto employees and facilities in the company town of Monsanto, Illinois, later renamed Sauget. In addition, photographs show many smaller businesses such as grocers, clothing stores, shoe stores, bakeries, drugstores, bars, and taverns. Product shots depict the growth of new household appliances such as radios and refrigerators, as well as shoes, clothing, and other consumer goods.

Sievers Studio captured many of the physical changes happening to the cityscape in the 1930s, particularly the development of new residential areas in south St. Louis City, including St. Louis Hills, as well as in the inner-ring suburbs surrounding the city of St. Louis. Photographs also show new downtown buildings, including the Municipal Auditorium (later renamed Kiel Auditorium) and the construction of the U. S. Court and Custom House. In addition, street views and other architectural photographs taken throughout St. Louis City and St. Louis County show a variety of established residential, commercial, and industrial areas.

Sievers Studio also specialized in photographing large exhibitions and conventions and in taking photographs for insurance purposes. Exhibitions and conventions include car shows; fraternity and sorority conventions; professional conventions; and the Greater St. Louis Flower Show. These photographs often show group portraits of attendees, as well as exhibit booths and banquets. Insurance photographs often show damage resulting from automobile accidents.

Also of note in this series are photographs showing visiting celebrities, including Amelia Earhart, Jimmy Doolittle, Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, Betty Grable, and Helen Kane. Many of the celebrities were film, radio, or vaudeville stars.

To browse catalog records and digitized images from this series visit our Online Collections: https://mohistory.org/collections/item/P0403-S03

For a map of photo shoot locations, vist our 1930s Sievers Google Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/viewer?hl=en&mid=1gQ_lUs-TI4eW5p9__7nVAcL_8Q9lwAxe&ll=26.369034592509994%2C-44.68302840000001&z=2.