Dorothea Lange - Resettlement Administration photos

One of the most famous photos to come of the Great Depression in the US is Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother. I expect it's on par with Korda's iconic photo of Che Guevara which I discussed yesterday.

{LC caption: Florence Thompson with three of her children, mother of seven children; age thirty-two; one of many destitute pea pickers; photo by Dorothea Lange; source of this an all images on this page: Library of Congress}

The image is one of five that Lange took in Nipomo, California, during February or March of 1936. The five are within the Farm Security Administration collection in the Prints and Photos Div of the Library of Congress. LC gives a brief overview of the set.

Here are two more from the set of five:





This photo shows Lange with her enormous 4x5 Graflex.

{LC caption: Dorothea Lange, Resettlement Administration photographer, in California, 1936 Feb.; source: LC}

Here are some more of her photos, all taken in California between 1935 and 1939.

{LC caption: Motherless migrant children. They work in the cotton. 1935 June}

{LC caption: Children of Oklahoma drought refugee in migratory camp in California, 1936 Nov.}

{LC caption: Grandmother of twenty-two children living in Kern County migrant camp. California, 1936 Nov.}

{LC caption: Son of migratory worker from Kansas in squatters' camp near Farmersville, California, 1936 Nov.}

{LC caption: Tom Collins, manager of Kern migrant camp, with drought refugee family. California, 1936 Nov}

{LC caption: Daughter of migrant Tennessee coal miner. Living in American River camp near Sacramento, California, 1936 Nov.}

{LC caption: Young Oklahoma mother, age eighteen, penniless, stranded in California. Imperial Valley,1937 Mar.}

{LC caption: Children of migratory carrot pullers, Mexicans. Imperial Valley, California, 1937 Mar.}

{LC caption: "This is a hard way to serve the Lord." Oklahoma drought refugee, California, 1937 Mar.}

{LC caption: Industrialized agriculture. From Texas farmer to migratory worker in California. Kern County, 1938 Nov.}

{LC caption: One of migratory family in Farm Security Administration (FSA) labor camp. Calipatria, Imperial Valley, California, 1939 Feb.}

{LC caption: Migratory labor workers. Brawley, Imperial Valley, California, 1939 Feb.}

Some links:

• Dorothea Lange wikipedia page
• Dorothea Lange page on LC's web site
• DOROTHEA LANGE biography by Susannah Abbey