To mark Aperture ‘s return to a US-based printer, we present an issue that reflects on the image of American manufacturing, from the automobile as a symbol of the rise and fall of domestic industry, to how the worker, as subject, has fascinated photographers, from Lewis Hine to Lee Friedlander. A series of portfolios by contemporary photographers portray daily life in regional cities and communities, such as Pittsburgh and Buffalo. As debates continue about the country’s economic future and the outsourcing of jobs, this issue offers an urgent reflection on life, work, and pursuit of happiness, in the USA today. Aperture magazine is an essential guide to the art and phenomenon of photography, that combines the smartest writing with beautifully reproduced portfolios. Published quarterly, each issue focuses on a major theme in contemporary photography, serving as a book about its subject, for everyone interested in understanding where photography is heading. With fresh perspectives on the medium by leading writers and thinkers, and beautifully designed and produced, Aperture magazine makes new ideas in photography accessible to the photographer, student, and the culturally- curious alike.