Age thirty-two. (American, 1895–1965) 1936. Prints & Photographs Division staff There are no known restrictions on the use of Lange's "Migrant Mother" images. There was a sort of equality about it. Engage your subjects, but don’t make yourself the subject. 1936 (Photo by Dorothea Lange/Getty Images) Florence was just 32. Dorothea Lange, Mère migrante (Migrant Mother), 1936. Title: Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California. The story of how Dorothea Lange created perhaps the most iconic photograph in American history. David Hodge January 2015. Soixante-dix ans plus tard, on revient sur l’histoire de cette image. Captured by documentary photographer Dorothea Lange in 1936, the image of a worried but resilient mother was so powerful that it prompted the government Mère migrante, Migrant Mother en anglais, est la photographie la plus célèbre de Dorothea Lange et une des plus connues du programme de la Farm Security Administration (FSA). Her best known work, Migrant Mother (1936), was taken while working to document the farm families forced to migrate west in search of work. (35.24 x 27.94 cm) (mount) Type: Photograph. How does the photo make you feel? In 1960, Lange spoke about her experience taking the photograph: Hanna Soltys, Reference Librarian, Prints & Photographs Division The photograph that has become known as "Migrant Mother" is one of a series of photographs that Dorothea Lange made of Florence Owens Thompson and her children in March of 1936 in Nipomo, California. Let the camera speak for them. Florence Owens Thompson (born Florence Leona Christie; September 1, 1903 – September 16, 1983) was the subject of Dorothea Lange's famous photograph Migrant Mother (1936), an iconic image of the Great Depression. To join or renew as a Member, please visit our Membership page. The images were made using a Graflex camera. Show your images to friends or classmates and see how they react. Proceed to Cart & Checkout. (As a rule, RA photographers did not record subject names, and Lange had promised not to reveal Thompson’s identity.) Need assistance? This guide discusses photographer Dorothea Lange's work, provides other views of Florence Owens Thompson (the Migrant Mother), and lists additional resources. Discover more about an iconic image from the Farm Security Administration Collection. En 1936, la photographe Dorothea Lange prend en photo l’emblématique "Migrant Mother", qui devient un symbole de la Grande Dépression. The compelling image of a mother and her children is actually one of a series of photographs that Dorothea Lange made in February or March of 1936 in Nipomo, California. Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; Annenberg Foundation; the Andrew W. 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Angell Family Foundation; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives; Prince Charitable Trusts; Soundtrap; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; UnitedHealth Group; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Dennis & Phyllis Washington; and Wells Fargo. Dorothea Lange believed the camera was an instrument of democracy. Rights: The Alfred and Ingrid Lenz Harrison Fund, http://www. I did not ask her name or her history. Watch a video about the Dust Bowl to hear stories of those who survived. First of a series. Now you know what it means to lead a “visual life.”. They also drew the sympathy and support of the American public. Library of Congress FSA/OWI Collection. "Migrant Mother" by Dorothea Lange, Public Domain. Discover the multicultural heritage and history of America through explorations of immigrant life, the lives of legendary pioneers like Lewis and Clark, the modern political system, and significant works of American music, including our National Anthem. In the 1930s, Lange worked for a government program that documented relief sent to farmers who had been hit hard by the collapse of the U.S. economy. Nipomo, California." Did the message come through? It is not possible to determine on the basis of the negative numbers (which were assigned later at the Resettlement Administration) the order in which the photographs were taken. Authors: She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed. The photograph popularly known as “Migrant Mother” has become an icon of the Great Depression. It will be included in the exhibition Dorothea Lange: Words & Pictures along with 100 other photographs from across her career. In White Angel Breadline, her first documentary photograph, Dorothea Lange enabled Americans to see the tragic effects of the Great Depression. Well, how about one that's worth 169,000 words and 20,000 pounds of food? The image evoked national sympathy, rather than scorn, for the hungry and homeless. Considering its impact, it is ironic that Migrant Mother is not typical of Lange’s usual practice. During the cotton strike, the father, a striking picker, has left his wife and child in the car while he … English: The "Migrant Mother" — renowned image by photographer Dorothea Lange, of Florence Owens Thompson in 1936. Lange used the lens as a tool to lead a “visual life”—to communicate the difficult beauty and power of what she witnessed. Mother of seven children. Gelatin silver print, 11 1/8 x 8 9/16" (28.3 x 21.8 cm) See this work in MoMA’s Online Collection. Though the Migrant Mother series may have called attention to a desperate plight, it did little to help the actual subjects of the photograph. Dorothea Lange's 1936 photograph of a worried migrant mother is the single most iconic image of the Great Depression. Dorothea Nutzhorn was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1895. Florence Thompson, a migrant mother with three of her seven children at a farm workers’ camp in Nipomo, California. Use our online form to ask a librarian for help. Here’s a start: Hear Dorothea Lange discuss her photographs and the difficulty of leading a visual life. With time, her artistry and skill with the camera improved and her interest in social issues deepened. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government. Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother by Eve Schillo, LACMA and Dr. Steven Zucker Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, Nipomo California, 1936, printed later, gelatin silver print, 35.24 x 27.78 cm (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, PG.1997.2). Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother —made on the edge of a frozen pea field in Nipomo, California, while she was working for the US government in early March 1936—is arguably the most famous photograph ever made. The photograph that has become known as "Migrant Mother" is one of a series of photographs that Dorothea Lange made of Florence Owens Thompson and her children in March of 1936 in Nipomo, California. She was ashamed of revisiting the poverty she endured decades earlier, but her children came to a different conclusion. She had seven hungry children. (From: Lange's "The Assignment I'll Never Forget: Migrant Mother," Popular Photography, Feb. 1960). Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" Photographs in the Farm Security Administration Collection, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information collection overview, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information black-and-white negatives rights statement. , Photographer Dorothea Lange, whose picture Migrant Mother is one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century, believed it was important to lead a “visual life.”. Her name was Florence Thompson. She tried to be open-minded and approached her subjects with respect. Audio, video, animation, photography, and technology. All rights reserved. Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, and the Culture of the Great Depression James C. Curtis N A COLD, RAINY AFTERNOON in March 1936 a government photographer named Dorothea Lange made a brief visit to a camp of migrant pea pickers near Nipomo, California. “Migrant Mother,” 1936 (Dorothea Lange, photographer). A conversation with Eve Schillo, Assistant Curator, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Steven Zucker. Measurements: 13 5/16 x 10 5/16 in. Look carefully at the photograph Lange took that day. She took a series of pictures of a thirty-two-year-old woman seated under a makeshift tent There she sat in that lean- to tent with her children huddled around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her, and so she helped me. Dorothea Nutzhorn was born in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1895. The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. Dorothea Nutzhorn was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1895. Migrant Mother: Dorothea Lange and the Truth of Photography. A sense of adventure took her from New York to San Francisco in 1919, where she renamed herself Dorothea Lange (her mother’s maiden name) and used her newly-acquired skills in photography to set up a studio. They were proud of the woman who sacrificed for her family and became a symbol of female strength in times of adversity. Lange on "Migrant Mother" "It was raining, the camera bags were packed, and I had on the seat beside me in the car the results of my long trip, the box containing all those rolls and packs of exposed film ready to mail back to Washington. Dorothea Lange’s iconic 1936 photograph of the Migrant Mother. Program information: http://www.c-span.org/History/Events/American-Artifacts-1930s-40s-Color-Photographs/10737436052/ The craft of photography was born in … Out of the thousands of images she made, why does this have such universal appeal? While the Depression was a time of lost opportunity for most Americans, it was a time of enormous growth for Lange, who divorced her first husband, married again, and became part of a team of government photographers now celebrated for creating a moving visual document of a difficult era. Meet the master artist through one of her most important works Photographer Dorothea Lange, whose picture Migrant Mother is one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century, believed it was important to lead a “visual life.” What did she mean by that? In 1960, Lange gave this account of the experience: I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. Two incidents in her childhood shaped the ambitious yet sensitive woman she would become: At age seven she came down with polio and at twelve her parent’s marriage dissolved. Physical Dimensions: w10.31 x h13.31 in (image) Photographer: Dorothea Lange. While touring the country on behalf of the agency, Lange came across a hungry and desperate mother and took several pictures of her, one of which would become known as Migrant Mother. She was living in a trailer home in Modesto, California. Mrs. Thompson saw Lange’s photo as a bit of a curse. From Depression-era images that captured the attention of a nation, to student-produced videos on local artists, to how to make your own blood and guts special effects, explore the ever-changing world of media arts. Lange and her soon-to-be husband, economist Paul Taylor, began to document the plight of migrant farm workers who lived in squalor in California labor camps. The identity of Migrant Mother was not learned until 1978, when a reporter from the Modesto Bee newspaper located Thompson, then in her mid-seventies, at her mobile home outside of Modesto, California. Keep Exploring Humbled by the Great Depression, this song gave voice to Americans' fears and feelings of loss. Upon the arrival of the Great Depression in the 1930s, she used photography to share the image of those affected by hunger and unemployment. Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education. The photo depicts the severity of the Depression, humanized by Lange's composition of an impoverished woman and her … I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. Try to apply Lange’s philosophy—be open-minded and respectful of your subjects. A conversation with Eve Schillo, Assistant Curator, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Steven Zucker. Sally Stein, ‘Passing Likeness: Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother” and the Paradox of Iconicity’, in Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions of the American Self, exhibition catalogue, International Centre of Photography, New York 2004, pp.345–55, reproduced p.344. Forty years after Lange took her famous photograph, a reporter located the woman known as Migrant Mother. Left with an awkward limp and unresolved anger toward her family, she was determined to move forward. Supported by … Photographed at "Pea-Pickers Camp" — in Nipomo, San Luis Obispo County, central California.From a Resettlement Administration documentation project, the photograph has become one of the iconic images of the Great Depression.There are two versions of this image, an … Find out more about Dorothea Lange, the Great Depression, America’s Dust Bowl, and documentary photography. To make a donation in memory of someone, please visit our Memorial Donation page. After the stock market crash of 1929, the country plunged into a deep economic slump known as the Great Depression. Dorothea Lange/Library of Congress In 1936, a very tired 32-year-old mother of seven named Florence Owens sat down with a few of her children in a temporary shelter near the migrants’ camp in Nipomo, California, next to her broken-down car. Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother is widely recognized as the most popular social documentary photograph of all time. Dorothea Lange was returning home from an assignment for the Resettlement Association in March of 1936 when she came across a sign near Nipomo, California, that would change her life: PEA-PICKERS CAMP. Have a question? Although she had all the pictures she needed, something compelled her to stop: Soon after, Lange shared the story about the pea-pickers with the editor of a San Francisco newspaper. (33.81 x 26.19 cm) (image) 13 7/8 x 11 in. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions. Did you manage to communicate successfully through pictures? Note: This guide is adapted from "Dorothea Lange's 'Migrant Mother' Photographs in the Farm Security Administration Collection" list, previously available on the Prints & Photographs Reading Room webpage. The original negatives are 4x5" film. The woman in the photograph is Florence Owens Thompson. Copyright 1990-2020. Lange was concluding a month's trip photographing migratory farm labor around the state for what was then the Resettlement Administration. Migrant Mother, 1936 Lange had just completed a month-long photographic assignment and was driving back home in a wind-driven rain when she came upon a sign for the camp. One of Lange's most recognized works is Migrant Mother, published in 1936. Her images of desperately poor families told the stories of those who had been unfortunate. Follow the link to read the collection rights statement. She later rejected her surname and adopted her mother’s maiden name after her father abandoned the family. The Library of Congress titled the image: "Destitute pea pickers in California. She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. Dorothea Lange. Last Updated: February 19, 2019. In 1936, Dorothea Lange captured a photograph that became one of the most famous images of the Great Depression: Migrant Mother.At the time employed by the U.S. government’s Farm Security Administration (FSA) program, which was formed during the Great Depression to raise awareness of impoverished farmers and to provide aid, Lange concentrated on the unemployed and displaced farm … Meet the master artist through one of her most important works, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fadocamer.html, View more Depression-era images by Dorothea Lange at the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs website at, Explore the work of other photographers of the Depression, including Walker Evans, John Vachon, Arthur Rothstein, and Ben Shahn at, Watch the videos below for more information on Dorthea Lange and the Dust Bowl, Use your camera, computer, or cell phone to tell an important story through photographs. Her work earned her a job with one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal programs—the Resettlement Administration (later renamed the Farm Security Administration)—in 1935. Created: 1998 Lange’s most famous photograph almost didn’t happen, and its lasting impact was something of a mystery to her. During the course of her 40-year career, Lange’s style as a photographer proposed that social documentary photography is a humanist art form. Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California. She died in 1965 at the age of 70, but her personal philosophy continues to influence documentary photographers, and her extraordinary pictures allow Americans to see other Americans in a new light. Kenny Neal Manager, Digital Education Resources, Tiffany Bryant Assistant Manager, Audience Enrichment, Joanna McKee Program Coordinator, Digital Learning, JoDee Scissors Content Specialist, Digital Learning. — Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, Nipomo California, 1936, printed later, gelatin silver print, 35.24 x 27.78 cm (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, PG.1997.2). March 4, 2020 • By Lennard Davis Lange was concluding a month's trip photographing migratory farm labor around the state for what was then the Resettlement Administration. However, it is, unmistakably, the mother from that photograph. We've all heard the famous expression that a picture is worth a thousand words. As a young woman, Lange’s ability to work well with people led to her success as a portrait photographer. Your tax-deductible gift will help keep our vital arts and education initiatives accessible to more communities across the nation! She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food. 1936, Library of Congress. Migrant Mother, The Most Well-Known of Dorothea Lange Photos Listen to Woody’s Guthrie’s “Dust Bowl Blues”. Looking at Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother Something appears to have been mixed up here, since the photograph above is not the well-known Migrant Mother photograph by Dorothea Lange . Date Created: 1936. origin: United States. At the age of seven Lange contracted polio which left her with a weakened right leg and a pronounced limp. Her camera gave a voice to people who might have been forgotten. As a non-profit organization, the Kennedy Center is reliant upon our generous donors to fulfill our mission. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts. Something beckoned her to postpone her journey home and enter the camp. Extended captions and supplementary textual files relating to this series in the FSA Written Records have not been found. Congratulations! Of the photographs that came out of the Great Depression, few had as immediate or timeless impact as the one colloquially called Migrant Mother. "Dorothea Lange" Photo by Rondal Partridge. The Migrant Mother is an important photograph, not just because of the story it tells but because of what it doesn't tell — the things that were left out. How is Migrant Mother different from portraits of your family or friends? Distributed to newspapers across the country, Lange's poignant images became icons of the era. Meanwhile, Migrant Mother made Dorothea Lange's reputation, helped earn her a Guggenheim fellowship, and conferred fame and a permanent place … Editor: He published an article that included two of her images, prompting federal authorities to send 20,000 pounds of critically-needed food to the camp. Severe drought in the 1930s ravaged millions of acres of farmland and brought on the Dust Bowl, prompting hundreds of thousands to flee the damaged prairie states for California, where they hoped for a better life. Lange took her famous photograph, a reporter located the woman who for... 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