Dorothea Lange's Photographs

Migrant Mother, 1936

Egyptian Villagers, 1963

Classroom, 1963

Dorothea Lange Summary

Dorothea Lange was a courageous American photographer who used her images to rally support for the destitute American people enduring the Great Depression. Lange accomplishes her lofty goals by capturing the optimistic human spirit in image form. She was able to look past the outer appearances of her subjects and see their determination and hope for a better future.
Lange was born in New Jersey in 1895 and learned from a young age how to deal with adversity. At the age of seven, Lange was diagnosed with polio which left her with a limp in her right leg for the rest of her life. Then at the age of twelve, Lange’s father walked out on her family. This event was so hurtful to Lange that she dropped her father’s last name and took up her mother’s maiden name. This was an extremely unusual act for a woman during the early 1900s and shows Lange’s strength and independence.
In 1918, Lange moved from New York to San Francisco and opened her own portrait studio. One day as Lange was staring out her studio window she noticed a man standing at an intersection and in that moment she vowed to photograph the now rather than the timeless and undated. It was these documentary photographs that caught the attention of Roy Stryker who was in charge of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) of the United States Government. Lange joined the team of famous photographers in traveling across the country and documenting the Great Depression for the U.S. government.
The most widely recognized photograph by Lange is Migrant Mother, 1936, which depicts a poor mother trying to take care of her children. Lange was unique in the sense that she saw her subjects as real people instead of just subjects in a photograph. She got to know her subjects and listened to their stories. Lange truly cared about their well being and wanted to help them.
Lange did not pose or stage her images, yet they are more optimistic than her coworkers in the FSA. Lange’s subjects typically stand tall and have their heads held high. They have a look of determination and hope for a better future in their eyes. Lange could see the strength behind the raggedy appearances and was drawn to it.
When Lange was married for the second time, her husband had to travel all over the world for work and she accompanied him on his journeys. Lange captured the same human characteristics in her Asian portraiture as in her work during the Great Depression.
Lange was a brave woman who dedicated her life to helping others. She had numerous obstacles in her own life but was always able to overcome them. Her photographs display optimism and hope, two qualities that Lange admired most. Without Dorothea Lange, the way we view the Great Depression would be completely different.

Possible Prompts
- As a photojournalist, do you feel Lange was distorting the truth by capturing optimistic images? Why or why not?
- When you look at Migrant Mother, what feelings and emotions come to mind? Do you feel this is an optimistic photograph?
- In your opinion, what makes an image or photograph look optimistic?
- Lange’s goal during the Great Depression was to use her photographs to shock the nation into helping the destitute people. If you were a wealthy American during this time period and saw Lange’s work, would you be inclined to help? Why or why not?
- Write a short history for the subjects in either Egyptian Villagers or Classroom.