Tax Time Tension: Unhappy and Worried Faces of New York Taxpayers in 1944

In 1944, New Yorkers lined up at an Internal Revenue information center, tax forms in hand. Their faces told the story. Some frowned, deep in thought. Others clutched documents, staring at them with furrowed brows. A few sighed, waiting for their turn to speak with an official.

Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt stood 40 feet away, capturing these moments with his telephoto lens. His images showed the raw emotions of tax season. A man in a suit rubbed his forehead, frustration clear in his expression. A woman in a dark coat gripped her purse, her lips pressed tightly together. Another man, wearing a fedora, stared blankly at the floor, lost in thought.

The room was filled with stacks of papers and tired clerks. People leaned over desks, asking questions. Some gestured with their hands, pleading for help. The weight of wartime expenses and strict tax rules made the process even more stressful.

Despite the passing decades, the emotions in Eisenstaedt’s photos still feel familiar. Worry, confusion, impatience—they remain part of tax season, then and now.