Isaac Soyer was born on April 2nd, 1902 in Tambov Russia to working class parents. He was fourth of six children and followed in the footsteps of his two other brothers whom were also painters. Early in Soyers life, his parents emigrated from Russia to New York. Because Soyer grew up in a working class family and understood the struggle that can be placed on working class americans; he dedicated his art to painting for and about people in the same situation he was. Soyer was a social realist painter who often portrayed working class Americans he saw in New York City. One of his most notable pieces being, “Employment Agency”.
“The Employment Agency”, is an oil on canvas painting the depicts a group of people, both men and women of all multiple races, waiting at an employment agency looking for jobs. During the Great Depression, employment agencies would have extremely long lines filled with people who lost their jobs or needed to find work in order to support themselves and their families. The people in the image appear bored and tired. One man is reading a newspaper, the woman is sitting with her head in her hand, and the other two men are slouched and relaxing. This signifies that they have been waiting for a very long time and will most likely continue to wait for a very long time. True to Soyer’s mission of depicting the lives of the working class, this image accurately shows a very prominent role in the lives over the working class during the Great Depression.