The vintage photograph here presented were taken during Robert Capa's coverage of the fall of the revolutionary areas around Barcelona, Spain in January 1939. In the reportage accompanying the photographs from this event, he writes: “There were people on foot, neighbors in groups, and small families. Some had hand carts, many had only market bags and baskets, which women often carried on their heads [...] Many had overladen farm carts, with two huge wheels, pulled by one ore two straining mules. When the animals got tired, even the women had to help push the carts slowly forward [...] What remains is the gamble shared by all the refugees. Above them are the enemy's planes and on the open road there is no protection from them. Everyone on the road is in the hands of Fate, with life-and-death stakes. Sometimes the planes swoop down and fire their machine guns at the procession, killing people and animals.” Whelan:“This is War, Robert Capa at work”, 2008, p. 191–193.

Several of Capa's photographs from this event were later published in an article entitled “The Tragedy of Spain” in Picture Post, 4 February 1939. The article in Picture Post as well as Capa's reportage is depicted in Whelan, 2008, p. 188–198. “On January 15, 1939, Capa photographed refugees making their way along the coastal road from Tarragona to Barcelona. Many were on foot; some pushed carts so heavily laden with their possesions that their mules were unable to pull them. Before the refugees could reach their destination, fascist planes strafed them mercilessly, killing many and scattering their belongings.” Whelan: Robert Capa, the definitive collection. 2004, p. 224.