Annotated Bibliography
Primary Sources:
Documents:
“Davis Auto Camp Report” September 1, 1936. Farm Security Administration Papers (Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkley) Accessed October 6, 2014.
The Davis Auto Camp was a migratory worker camp in Brentwood, California. There were over one hundred people living there, in twenty to thirty cabins, twelve tents, and about five trailers. The cost of living there was ten dollars per month with running cold water in the cabin, and eight dollars without water. These conditions were unbearable for its inhabitants, but it was all they had.
“E.L. Baker Camp Report” August 25, 1936. Farm Security Administration Papers (Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkely) Accessed September 22, 2014.
A report regarding the farms of migrant workers. The conditions they lived in were cramped and unsanitary. This particular camp had two water faucets, four toilets, two showers, eight cabins, with one electrical outlet in each cabin. The camp housed eight families, thirty six total people. The workers were paid 1 3/4 cents for every plate of grapes they gathered, during a 2-3 week harvest. These grape pickers were traded housing for work, as the funds were not enough to live on.
Paul Taylor “Report to California State Emergency Relief Administration” March 15, 1935. Surrogate of LOT 898, Farm Security Adminstration-Office of War Information Photograph Collection (Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.). Accessed October 15, 2014.
The letter explains the terrible conditions these migratory farmers lived in. The camp was very unsanitary. The houses and tents were made of scraps of clothing, boards and other materials that the farmers found. No one in the government and the people who owned the farms ever cared to clean the camp or provide the necessary utilities for the workers. These people came to California either moving with the crops, immigrating from Mexico, or escaping the Dust Bowl. Dorothea worked with many of these camps, photographing the poor conditions the people lived in.
Interviews:
Featherson, Nettie. Interview by Bill Ganzel. Personal Interview. Lubbock, Texas. August 1979.
Nettie Featherson is interviewed 41 years after Dorothea Lange took her picture in “Woman of the High Plains” in 1938. She talks about how the Great Depression affected her, the struggles she faced, and the heartache she felt. She said, “Every time I ask God to remove this awful burden off my heart, he does.”
Photographs:
Dorothea Lange, “Damaged Child” 1936. Elm Grove, Oklahoma.
A poor young girl frowns at the camera. She is dirty and dressed in rags, a typical child of the Great Depression.
Dorothea Lange, “Daughter of Migrant Tennessee Coal Miner Living in American River Camp near Sacramento, California” 1936, San Francisco.
A woman who is a daughter of a migratory farmer looks distressed, sitting alone in her tent.
Dorothea Lange, “Ex-Slave with Long Memory” 1937. Alabama.
An African American women stands on a road looking away from the forest behind her. She used to be a slave, but is now free.
Dorothea Lange, “Hand, Indonesian Dancer, Java” 1958. Indonesia.
In Dorothea’s travels around the world, she came to Indonesia with her husband. When they saw the dancers, she took this picture of the dancer’s hand. This is the last picture in her Museum of Modern Art Collection.
Dorothea Lange, “Jobless on the Edge of a Pea Field” 1937. Imperial Valley, California.
A man sits in the dirt on the edge of a pea field. He has no current job, and several other men sit beside him.
Dorothea Lange, “Kern County, California” 1938. Kern County, California.
An air tank sits beside a gas station with a sign that says, “AIR: This is your country, don’t let the big men take it away from you.”
Dorothea Lange, “Migrant Mother” 1936. Nipomo, California.
The photo depicts a mother with two younger children crying on her shoulder, all wearing tattered clothing. This image was taken in a pea-pickers’ camp, during the Great Depression. Migrant Mother was Dorothea’s most famous picture, soon landing itself in headlines, newspaper, magazines, and many other places. Florence Owens (the mother) was soon the face of the Depression.
Dorothea Lange, “Migratory Cotton Picker” 1940. Eloy, Arizona.
A migratory cotton picker leans on a piece of wood. His hand is covering his face, yet he looks toward the camera and Lange.
Dorothea Lange, “One Nation, Indivisible” 1942. San Francisco, California.
Children stand together, hands on hearts, saying the American Pledge to the flag. At the front of the group, there are several young Japanese children saying the pledge as well. Though she couldn’t say it, this is Lange’s way of expressing how she feels that Japanese Americans can be loyal American citizens as well. Though it was taken in 1942, the picture was printed in 1965, because it was denied to be printed until Lange needed it for her exhibit.
Dorothea Lange, “Political Signs” 1938. Waco, Texas.
The courthouse in Waco, Texas covered in signs advertising candidates in the upcoming elections.
Dorothea Lange, “Road on the Great Plains” 1941.
A road goes uphill into the distance. On the side of the road, there stands a small barn in the middle of flowering patches of land.
Dorothea Lange, “The Road West” 1938. New Mexico.
A road stretches far into the distance, with barren land on either side. Many of the families escaping the Dust Bowl would take this road and many others to a new life.
Dorothea Lange, “White Angel Bread Line” 1933, San Francisco. September 29, 2014.
A man waits in line with many others at a soup kitchen. This was one of Dorothea Lange’s first documentary photograph, and this was one of the photos that made her noticeable by future co-workers and employers.
Dorothea Lange, “Woman of the High Plains” 1938. Texas Panhandle.
Nettie Featherson stands on the side of the road looks distressed, holding her hands on her head. She talks to Lange about the stress of being a mother during the hard times of the Great Depression.
Secondary Sources:
Books:
Gordon, Linda Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2009.
Dorothea Lange’s career starts with a studio in San Francisco. When her work starts to decline, she turns towards the streets. Photographing the Great Depression, she catches attention and is hired by the Farm Security Administration. She does work with the migrant workers, Japanese internments and other jobs, but throughout Lange’s career, she shows her life in her passion, and goes beyond her limits to achive success in all of her fields.
Durden, Mark Dorothea Lange. New York: Phaidon, 2001.
Dorothea Lange worked as a portrait photographer after graduating high school and overcoming childhood struggles. Once the Depression began, she started to look more towards the streets to photograph. Next, Lange was hired to photograph migrant farmers. Then, the WRA hired her to work with internment camps. After she was fired, her health declined, limiting her to do small projects until her death in 1965. A photographic collection with in depth descriptions of each picture is included in the book as well.
Lange, Dorothea Dorothea Lange. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1966.
A photographic collection of Dorothea Lange. Her photographs show her journeys around the world and express what she saw, how she felt, and the emotions the people had.
Lange, Dorothea Dorothea Lange Looks at the American Country Woman. Fort Worth: Amon Carter Museum, 1961.
Dorothea Lange groups her pictures of strong women supporting their families with the American spirit. Each picture shows the woman in her home with a brief description of her lifestyle accompanying it.
Meltzer, Martin Dorothea Lange: A Photographer’s Life. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1978.
Dorothea Lange’s life goes though periods of struggle, loss, abandonment, and tragedy, but her camera has always been by her side to photograph it. Through tired faces of the farmers, hopeless faces of the Japanese, and courageous faces of America, Dorothea Lange captures the culture and emotions her life evokes. She was a true leader in opening the eyes to the real hardships of the time.
Sandler, Martin W. The Dust Bowl: Through the Lens. New York: Walker and Company, 2009.
The Dust Bowl was a serious drought that lasted many long years, ruining the livelihood of farmers in the Great Plains area. This time was captured by photographers hired by the FSA, including Dorothea Lange, to get the attention of the people and the government, and to record this time in history. Through their hard work and talent, they not only helped these farmers get noticed and be provided with help, but they also gave a face to the Dust Bowl.
Documentary:
Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning, DVD, Directed by Dyanna Taylor. PBS:2014.
Dorothea Lange’s career had many different points including her Hopi Native work with her ex-husband, her FSA work, her Japanese internments, and her other adventures. Her ways of taking photos were different from everybody else’s because they made people see things in a more realistic light, whether it was happy or not. Dorothea’s spirit inspired many including her granddaughter, director of the film, who says Lange taught her to truly see in ways that impact her daily life today.
Internet Articles:
“Dorothea Lange” Densho Encyclopedia. Last modified April 17, 2014. Accessed January 3, 2015. <http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Dorothea_Lange/>
Dorothea Lange was born on May 26, 1895 in Hoboken, New Jersey. After graduating high school, she took her mother’s advice and went to a college for teachers. She soon found it wasn’t right for her, and dropped out. Lange then took photography classes from Richard Gethe and Clarence White. After her education, she was ready to start her photographic career.
“Dorothea Lange: Action-taking UnReasonable Leader” UnReasonable Leader. Last modified 2014. Accessed September 21, 2014.
<www.unreasonableleaders.com/dorothea-lange-action-taking-unreasonable-leaders>.
Dorothea Lange captured the honest faces of the American Depression and Japanese Internments, showing the tired, forgotten, hungry, and hopeless. She brought attention to the needs of the people, not just the needs of the country. Dorothea led American programs like the FSA by raising awareness for the need of these organizations.
“Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning” PBS n.d. Accessed September 15, 2014
<http://www.grabahunkoflightning.com/more-about-lange1/>
Dorothea Lange used her camera over four decades of her career to reflect on the honest images of events like the Great Depression, Dust Bowl, and the Japanese-American internment. She also kept a journal, “Home is Where”, describing her thoughts about her career, and if she was a true ‘artist’ or a ‘craftsmen’. Before she died, Lange prepared a retrospective exhibit for the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She sadly did not get to see it unveil, as she passed away October 11,1965 at age 70.
"Japanese American Internment” Calisphere. University of California. n.d. Accessed September 13, 2014.
<www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/themed_collections/subtopic5e.html>
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which enforced 10 internment camps for Japanese Americans. Dorothea Lange was hired by the War Relocation Authority along with other photographers to record the internment. However, Lange photographed the camps in a style of “irony” that forced the WRA to not publish her pictures.
“Migrant Mother, 1936” Eyewitness to History. Last modified 2005. Accessed October 20, 2014 <www.eyewitnesstohistory.com>
On a rainy day, on the way home from a project for the FSA, Dorothea passed a sign that pointed to a pea pickers camp. She continued on her way, but convinced herself she had too much to lose, and turned back towards the camp. She was immediately drawn to Florence Owens Thompson, and her seven children. Lange didn’t ask the mother her name or history, but Thompson offered her age. After Dorothea took her picture, she left the camp without talking to anyone else because she knew that she had gotten what she came for.
“Portfolio: Dorothea Lange” Picturing the Cenuty. n.d. Accessed Jan 1, 2015. <www.archives.gov/exhibits/picturing_the_cenutury/text/port_lange_text.html>
Dorothea Lange had many work assignments that are unsung. Some of the lesser known ones include: being hired by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics to photograph cultural studies in California and Arizona, photographing Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, California for the Office of War Information, photographing the founding of the United Nations, and completing assignments for LIFE Magazine.
Drash, Wayne and Gutierrez, Teresa “Girl from Iconic Great Depression Photo: ‘We Were Ashamed’” CNN. Last modified December 3, 2009. Accessed October 13, 2014.
CNN interviews Katherine McIntosh, daughter of Florence Owens Thompson, who is the famous mother in the photograph “Migrant Mother”. She talks about the conditions she lived in, and how the more fortunate people would tease her family. She also talked about how the photo “brought shame--and determination--to her family”. Her mother was a strong, independent woman who worked as hard as she could to keep her seven kids alive. She inspired Katherine to support her family, as she is so proud to have a stable job and a roof over her head.
Dunn, Geoffrey “Photographic License” Wayback Machine Internet Archive. Last modified June 2, 2002. Accessed January 2, 2015. <web.archive.org>
Florence Owens (The Migrant Mother) was fully Cherokee, and lived on a reservation until the government took it from her. She then married Cleo Owens at 17 years old, and after he died, she worked two jobs to support her family, then married James Hill. James couldn’t keep a job, and Florence was the main one supporting her children. Florence was a very strong women who put family first. Although she wasn’t actually a migrant farmer, she did represent what the Great Depression brought out in people.
Ganzel, Bill “FSA Photographers” Living History Farm. Last modified 2003. Accessed October 20, 2014. www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_14.html
In 1935, The FSA created a publicity branch to document the lives of the people in the Depression. These photographers mainly focused on showing the rural areas that were affected. Photographers like Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Arthur Rothstein, Ben Shahn, Marion Post Wolcott, Russell Lee, Jack Delano and a few more were hired by Roy Stryker and trusted with this job.
Gordon, Linda “Internment without Charges: Dorothea Lange and the Censored Images of Japanese American Internment” The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Last Modified November 6, 2006. Web. Accessed October 15, 2014.
<www.japanfocus.org/-Linda-Gordon/2260>
The Japanese internments during World War II forced many Japanese Americans out of their homes and into camps because of the tension after Pearl Harbor. Very few people spoke out against this. Even the people who normally stood for equality kept quiet in fear of being called a traitor. However, Dorothea Lange did not believe in that and chose to show the Japanese Americans as regular American citizens in her photographs.
Khasnis, Giridhar “Two Women and a Photograph” The Hindu. Last Modified April 30, 2006. Accessed January 2, 2015. <www.thehindu.com>
Florence Owens, more commonly known as the “Migrant Mother” was not actually a migrant mother. Florence was originally from Oklahoma, where she lived on a Cherokee reservation. After her tribe lost the land, she moved around several places, married 3 different men, and had ten children she had to support throughout her life. Florence ended up at the farm after her car broke down while her family was driving along Highway 101 to start a new life. Owens suspects that Lange got her stories mixed up at the camp, but she denies being a migrant worker and being in that camp for poverty reasons.
Oden, Lori “Dorothea Lange” International Photography Hall of Fame. Last modified 2014. Accessed September 22, 2014. <http://www.iphf.org/hall-of-fame/dorothea-lange/>
Dorothea Lange began as a troubled student from a broken family, with only one working leg. She decided to ditch academics, and become a photographer, following her dreams.Dorothea worked in many different cultures and societies, but all of her work was similar in one way. She showed the truth about the emotions, thoughts, and lives of these people through something as simple as a lens. Throughout her life, she traveled all over the United States and the world to show the true human spirit at capture people at their worst and best.
Popova, Maria “The Story Behind ‘Migrant Mother’ Photograph and How Dorothea Lange Almost Didn’t Take It” Brain Pickings. n.d. Accessed November 3, 2014. <www.brainpickings.org/2013/11/06/dorothea-lange-migrant-mother-elizabeth-partridge/
Coming home from an unsuccessful mission for the FSA, Dorothea Lange drove by a sign on the highway pointing to a pea pickers camp. She passed it, but immediately felt guilty. She turned around and entered the camp. Approaching a tired and hungry mother, this is when Dorothea Lange took her most iconic photo, “Migrant Mother”.
Shetterly, Robert “Americans Who Tell the Truth” Robert Shetterly n.d. Accessed September 15, 2014.
Dorothea Lange began her photography career as a studio photographer in San Francisco. In 1918, she began her traveling, first shooting Native Americans in the South. Once the Great Depression began, Lange decided to turn her lens to laboring workers. She was soon hired by the FSA to capture the lives of migrant workers (this is when she took “Migrant Mother”, her most famous picture). She later turned to Japanese-American internment camps during World War II. She visited several other countries, making photographic essays for Life Magazine, and became the first woman to be awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Smith, Dinitia “Photographs of an Episode That Lives in Infamy” The New York Times. Last modified November 6, 2006. Accessed November 3, 2014. <nytimes.com/2006/11/06/arts/design/06lang.html?_r=0>
Dorothea Lange was hired to show the Japanese internment camps during WWII. She showed their sorrow and that they are reallly true American citizens. Her photos were not published at first because of what they showed. She wasn’t allowed to photograph guards or any kind of resistance, yet she rebelled in simply showing how these people were us, and posed no threat at all.
Whitney, Stephanie “Part Two: Dorothea Lange in the Yakima Valley: Rural Poverty and Photography in the Great Depression” The Great Depression in Washington State. Last Modified 2009. Accessed September 29, 2014. <http://depts.washington.edu/depress/dorothea_lange_FSA_yakima.shtml>
The Great Depression struck migrant farmers very hard, leaving them in poverty and homelessness. The Yakima Valley was one of the most effected places struck by the Depression. After being introduced to these farmers, and being hired by the Farm Security Administration, she was inspired to take her camera to the street. She captured many of the families, stories, feelings, and lives of Yakima’s inhabitants.
Yoshiwara, Emily “Part One: Dorothea Lange’s Social Vision: Photography and The Great Depression” The Great Depression in Washington State. Last Modified 2009. Accessed September 26, 2014. <http://depts.washington.edu/depress/dorothea_lange_photography_depression.shtml>
When the price of crops was cut in half during the Depression to help the farm workers, the Farm Security Administration was founded. It hired many photographers to capture and record the farmers’ lifestyle. Among those photographers was Dorothea Lange, who was compelled to take her camera out onto the streets ever since her studio was dying down. She eventually became a social photographer. Lange’s work opened the eyes of people and served as powerful tools to alert people how the farmers were affected.
Interviews:
Elizabeth Partridge, author of “Dorothea Lange: Her Lifetime in Photography” Email. October 10, 2014.
Dorothea’s legacy of her photographs are impactful because her photographs make you feel intensely about them. She led people by creating compassion for them. With the compassion she gave them, the legislation was more helpful to those living in the migratory camps.
Meg Partridge, director of “Dorothea Lange: A Visual Life” Email. January 26, 2015.
Dorothea’s professional looking photographs, descending from her portrait background, brought a new, more preferred type of photographing that contributed to her success in many ways. Today, much of the photography has the clean edge yet media platform that is similar to hers. By stepping out of her comfort zone and using her talented ‘eye’ for her pictures, Dorothea Lange effected her audiences more and brought more emotional pictures into people’s view.
Dyanna Taylor, director of “Grab a Hunk of Lightning” and Dorothea Lange’s granddaughter. Email. February 13, 2015.
Dorothea Lange was a demanding perfectionist who has high expectations of herself and others. She was outspoken, brave, and had a great sense of fashion as well. Taylor says she inspires people to give a voice to people who are ignored, and to show the truth through your photography. Her legacy includes her success as a women photographer, all of her pictures (especially “Migrant Mother”) and photographing in an honest reality. If Dyanna Taylor could say only one thing to someone learning about Lange she would say, “It is worth discovering her lifetime of photography.”
Online Books:
Clarke, Ben “Image and Imagination: Encounters with the Photography of Dorothea Lange” Freedom Voices. Last modified 1997. Accessed January 3, 2015. <www.freedomvoices.org/new/node/1007>
Dorothea Lange was one of the most well known photographers that worked during the Great Depression. She is most known for her photograph, “The Migrant Mother”. Her work established many programs that helped people’s needs. We can still learn a lot from her photos and apply them to our life today.
Online Videos:
Thomas Anderson “Dorothea Lange: An American Odyssey” Youtube. Last modified February 19, 2014. Accessed January 5, 2015. <www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrODn0f1z0g>
Dorothea Lange was a portait photographer before the Depression who took photographs of the richer people. Once the Great Depression came upon America, and her customers couldn’t afford her business, she decided to become a street photographer, and loved the rush of it. Through her work, she captured iconic photographs such as “Migrant Mother” and “White Angel Breadline” which forever changed people’s ideas and expectations of American life.
Pinkfloydteacher “Dorothea Lange” Youtube. Last modified March 20, 2009. Accessed January 5, 2015. <<www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvOEE1rJR2l>
Dorothea Lange represented the downfall of the economy with the downfall of the people she showed in her pictures. In Lange’s career, she photographed many different kinds of people in the Depression including migrant workers, families escaping the Dust Bowl, southern people, and African Americans.
University of California Television (UCTV) “Visual Democracy: Dorothea Lange” Youtube. Last Modified November 13, 2008. Accessed January 5, 2015. <www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX-vHPUKGek>
Linda Gordon, professor of history at NYU and author of “Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits”, lectures a class at University at California. She talks about the life of Lange, and her work with migrants, the Great Depression, World War II, Japanese internments and more. Gordon sees Lange’s work as ‘democratic’ and showing America in a democratic light. She also talks about her views on how Lange’s photographs influence our political ethics.
Primary Sources:
Documents:
“Davis Auto Camp Report” September 1, 1936. Farm Security Administration Papers (Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkley) Accessed October 6, 2014.
The Davis Auto Camp was a migratory worker camp in Brentwood, California. There were over one hundred people living there, in twenty to thirty cabins, twelve tents, and about five trailers. The cost of living there was ten dollars per month with running cold water in the cabin, and eight dollars without water. These conditions were unbearable for its inhabitants, but it was all they had.
“E.L. Baker Camp Report” August 25, 1936. Farm Security Administration Papers (Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkely) Accessed September 22, 2014.
A report regarding the farms of migrant workers. The conditions they lived in were cramped and unsanitary. This particular camp had two water faucets, four toilets, two showers, eight cabins, with one electrical outlet in each cabin. The camp housed eight families, thirty six total people. The workers were paid 1 3/4 cents for every plate of grapes they gathered, during a 2-3 week harvest. These grape pickers were traded housing for work, as the funds were not enough to live on.
Paul Taylor “Report to California State Emergency Relief Administration” March 15, 1935. Surrogate of LOT 898, Farm Security Adminstration-Office of War Information Photograph Collection (Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.). Accessed October 15, 2014.
The letter explains the terrible conditions these migratory farmers lived in. The camp was very unsanitary. The houses and tents were made of scraps of clothing, boards and other materials that the farmers found. No one in the government and the people who owned the farms ever cared to clean the camp or provide the necessary utilities for the workers. These people came to California either moving with the crops, immigrating from Mexico, or escaping the Dust Bowl. Dorothea worked with many of these camps, photographing the poor conditions the people lived in.
Interviews:
Featherson, Nettie. Interview by Bill Ganzel. Personal Interview. Lubbock, Texas. August 1979.
Nettie Featherson is interviewed 41 years after Dorothea Lange took her picture in “Woman of the High Plains” in 1938. She talks about how the Great Depression affected her, the struggles she faced, and the heartache she felt. She said, “Every time I ask God to remove this awful burden off my heart, he does.”
Photographs:
Dorothea Lange, “Damaged Child” 1936. Elm Grove, Oklahoma.
A poor young girl frowns at the camera. She is dirty and dressed in rags, a typical child of the Great Depression.
Dorothea Lange, “Daughter of Migrant Tennessee Coal Miner Living in American River Camp near Sacramento, California” 1936, San Francisco.
A woman who is a daughter of a migratory farmer looks distressed, sitting alone in her tent.
Dorothea Lange, “Ex-Slave with Long Memory” 1937. Alabama.
An African American women stands on a road looking away from the forest behind her. She used to be a slave, but is now free.
Dorothea Lange, “Hand, Indonesian Dancer, Java” 1958. Indonesia.
In Dorothea’s travels around the world, she came to Indonesia with her husband. When they saw the dancers, she took this picture of the dancer’s hand. This is the last picture in her Museum of Modern Art Collection.
Dorothea Lange, “Jobless on the Edge of a Pea Field” 1937. Imperial Valley, California.
A man sits in the dirt on the edge of a pea field. He has no current job, and several other men sit beside him.
Dorothea Lange, “Kern County, California” 1938. Kern County, California.
An air tank sits beside a gas station with a sign that says, “AIR: This is your country, don’t let the big men take it away from you.”
Dorothea Lange, “Migrant Mother” 1936. Nipomo, California.
The photo depicts a mother with two younger children crying on her shoulder, all wearing tattered clothing. This image was taken in a pea-pickers’ camp, during the Great Depression. Migrant Mother was Dorothea’s most famous picture, soon landing itself in headlines, newspaper, magazines, and many other places. Florence Owens (the mother) was soon the face of the Depression.
Dorothea Lange, “Migratory Cotton Picker” 1940. Eloy, Arizona.
A migratory cotton picker leans on a piece of wood. His hand is covering his face, yet he looks toward the camera and Lange.
Dorothea Lange, “One Nation, Indivisible” 1942. San Francisco, California.
Children stand together, hands on hearts, saying the American Pledge to the flag. At the front of the group, there are several young Japanese children saying the pledge as well. Though she couldn’t say it, this is Lange’s way of expressing how she feels that Japanese Americans can be loyal American citizens as well. Though it was taken in 1942, the picture was printed in 1965, because it was denied to be printed until Lange needed it for her exhibit.
Dorothea Lange, “Political Signs” 1938. Waco, Texas.
The courthouse in Waco, Texas covered in signs advertising candidates in the upcoming elections.
Dorothea Lange, “Road on the Great Plains” 1941.
A road goes uphill into the distance. On the side of the road, there stands a small barn in the middle of flowering patches of land.
Dorothea Lange, “The Road West” 1938. New Mexico.
A road stretches far into the distance, with barren land on either side. Many of the families escaping the Dust Bowl would take this road and many others to a new life.
Dorothea Lange, “White Angel Bread Line” 1933, San Francisco. September 29, 2014.
A man waits in line with many others at a soup kitchen. This was one of Dorothea Lange’s first documentary photograph, and this was one of the photos that made her noticeable by future co-workers and employers.
Dorothea Lange, “Woman of the High Plains” 1938. Texas Panhandle.
Nettie Featherson stands on the side of the road looks distressed, holding her hands on her head. She talks to Lange about the stress of being a mother during the hard times of the Great Depression.
Secondary Sources:
Books:
Gordon, Linda Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2009.
Dorothea Lange’s career starts with a studio in San Francisco. When her work starts to decline, she turns towards the streets. Photographing the Great Depression, she catches attention and is hired by the Farm Security Administration. She does work with the migrant workers, Japanese internments and other jobs, but throughout Lange’s career, she shows her life in her passion, and goes beyond her limits to achive success in all of her fields.
Durden, Mark Dorothea Lange. New York: Phaidon, 2001.
Dorothea Lange worked as a portrait photographer after graduating high school and overcoming childhood struggles. Once the Depression began, she started to look more towards the streets to photograph. Next, Lange was hired to photograph migrant farmers. Then, the WRA hired her to work with internment camps. After she was fired, her health declined, limiting her to do small projects until her death in 1965. A photographic collection with in depth descriptions of each picture is included in the book as well.
Lange, Dorothea Dorothea Lange. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1966.
A photographic collection of Dorothea Lange. Her photographs show her journeys around the world and express what she saw, how she felt, and the emotions the people had.
Lange, Dorothea Dorothea Lange Looks at the American Country Woman. Fort Worth: Amon Carter Museum, 1961.
Dorothea Lange groups her pictures of strong women supporting their families with the American spirit. Each picture shows the woman in her home with a brief description of her lifestyle accompanying it.
Meltzer, Martin Dorothea Lange: A Photographer’s Life. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1978.
Dorothea Lange’s life goes though periods of struggle, loss, abandonment, and tragedy, but her camera has always been by her side to photograph it. Through tired faces of the farmers, hopeless faces of the Japanese, and courageous faces of America, Dorothea Lange captures the culture and emotions her life evokes. She was a true leader in opening the eyes to the real hardships of the time.
Sandler, Martin W. The Dust Bowl: Through the Lens. New York: Walker and Company, 2009.
The Dust Bowl was a serious drought that lasted many long years, ruining the livelihood of farmers in the Great Plains area. This time was captured by photographers hired by the FSA, including Dorothea Lange, to get the attention of the people and the government, and to record this time in history. Through their hard work and talent, they not only helped these farmers get noticed and be provided with help, but they also gave a face to the Dust Bowl.
Documentary:
Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning, DVD, Directed by Dyanna Taylor. PBS:2014.
Dorothea Lange’s career had many different points including her Hopi Native work with her ex-husband, her FSA work, her Japanese internments, and her other adventures. Her ways of taking photos were different from everybody else’s because they made people see things in a more realistic light, whether it was happy or not. Dorothea’s spirit inspired many including her granddaughter, director of the film, who says Lange taught her to truly see in ways that impact her daily life today.
Internet Articles:
“Dorothea Lange” Densho Encyclopedia. Last modified April 17, 2014. Accessed January 3, 2015. <http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Dorothea_Lange/>
Dorothea Lange was born on May 26, 1895 in Hoboken, New Jersey. After graduating high school, she took her mother’s advice and went to a college for teachers. She soon found it wasn’t right for her, and dropped out. Lange then took photography classes from Richard Gethe and Clarence White. After her education, she was ready to start her photographic career.
“Dorothea Lange: Action-taking UnReasonable Leader” UnReasonable Leader. Last modified 2014. Accessed September 21, 2014.
<www.unreasonableleaders.com/dorothea-lange-action-taking-unreasonable-leaders>.
Dorothea Lange captured the honest faces of the American Depression and Japanese Internments, showing the tired, forgotten, hungry, and hopeless. She brought attention to the needs of the people, not just the needs of the country. Dorothea led American programs like the FSA by raising awareness for the need of these organizations.
“Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning” PBS n.d. Accessed September 15, 2014
<http://www.grabahunkoflightning.com/more-about-lange1/>
Dorothea Lange used her camera over four decades of her career to reflect on the honest images of events like the Great Depression, Dust Bowl, and the Japanese-American internment. She also kept a journal, “Home is Where”, describing her thoughts about her career, and if she was a true ‘artist’ or a ‘craftsmen’. Before she died, Lange prepared a retrospective exhibit for the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She sadly did not get to see it unveil, as she passed away October 11,1965 at age 70.
"Japanese American Internment” Calisphere. University of California. n.d. Accessed September 13, 2014.
<www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/themed_collections/subtopic5e.html>
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which enforced 10 internment camps for Japanese Americans. Dorothea Lange was hired by the War Relocation Authority along with other photographers to record the internment. However, Lange photographed the camps in a style of “irony” that forced the WRA to not publish her pictures.
“Migrant Mother, 1936” Eyewitness to History. Last modified 2005. Accessed October 20, 2014 <www.eyewitnesstohistory.com>
On a rainy day, on the way home from a project for the FSA, Dorothea passed a sign that pointed to a pea pickers camp. She continued on her way, but convinced herself she had too much to lose, and turned back towards the camp. She was immediately drawn to Florence Owens Thompson, and her seven children. Lange didn’t ask the mother her name or history, but Thompson offered her age. After Dorothea took her picture, she left the camp without talking to anyone else because she knew that she had gotten what she came for.
“Portfolio: Dorothea Lange” Picturing the Cenuty. n.d. Accessed Jan 1, 2015. <www.archives.gov/exhibits/picturing_the_cenutury/text/port_lange_text.html>
Dorothea Lange had many work assignments that are unsung. Some of the lesser known ones include: being hired by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics to photograph cultural studies in California and Arizona, photographing Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, California for the Office of War Information, photographing the founding of the United Nations, and completing assignments for LIFE Magazine.
Drash, Wayne and Gutierrez, Teresa “Girl from Iconic Great Depression Photo: ‘We Were Ashamed’” CNN. Last modified December 3, 2009. Accessed October 13, 2014.
CNN interviews Katherine McIntosh, daughter of Florence Owens Thompson, who is the famous mother in the photograph “Migrant Mother”. She talks about the conditions she lived in, and how the more fortunate people would tease her family. She also talked about how the photo “brought shame--and determination--to her family”. Her mother was a strong, independent woman who worked as hard as she could to keep her seven kids alive. She inspired Katherine to support her family, as she is so proud to have a stable job and a roof over her head.
Dunn, Geoffrey “Photographic License” Wayback Machine Internet Archive. Last modified June 2, 2002. Accessed January 2, 2015. <web.archive.org>
Florence Owens (The Migrant Mother) was fully Cherokee, and lived on a reservation until the government took it from her. She then married Cleo Owens at 17 years old, and after he died, she worked two jobs to support her family, then married James Hill. James couldn’t keep a job, and Florence was the main one supporting her children. Florence was a very strong women who put family first. Although she wasn’t actually a migrant farmer, she did represent what the Great Depression brought out in people.
Ganzel, Bill “FSA Photographers” Living History Farm. Last modified 2003. Accessed October 20, 2014. www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_14.html
In 1935, The FSA created a publicity branch to document the lives of the people in the Depression. These photographers mainly focused on showing the rural areas that were affected. Photographers like Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Arthur Rothstein, Ben Shahn, Marion Post Wolcott, Russell Lee, Jack Delano and a few more were hired by Roy Stryker and trusted with this job.
Gordon, Linda “Internment without Charges: Dorothea Lange and the Censored Images of Japanese American Internment” The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Last Modified November 6, 2006. Web. Accessed October 15, 2014.
<www.japanfocus.org/-Linda-Gordon/2260>
The Japanese internments during World War II forced many Japanese Americans out of their homes and into camps because of the tension after Pearl Harbor. Very few people spoke out against this. Even the people who normally stood for equality kept quiet in fear of being called a traitor. However, Dorothea Lange did not believe in that and chose to show the Japanese Americans as regular American citizens in her photographs.
Khasnis, Giridhar “Two Women and a Photograph” The Hindu. Last Modified April 30, 2006. Accessed January 2, 2015. <www.thehindu.com>
Florence Owens, more commonly known as the “Migrant Mother” was not actually a migrant mother. Florence was originally from Oklahoma, where she lived on a Cherokee reservation. After her tribe lost the land, she moved around several places, married 3 different men, and had ten children she had to support throughout her life. Florence ended up at the farm after her car broke down while her family was driving along Highway 101 to start a new life. Owens suspects that Lange got her stories mixed up at the camp, but she denies being a migrant worker and being in that camp for poverty reasons.
Oden, Lori “Dorothea Lange” International Photography Hall of Fame. Last modified 2014. Accessed September 22, 2014. <http://www.iphf.org/hall-of-fame/dorothea-lange/>
Dorothea Lange began as a troubled student from a broken family, with only one working leg. She decided to ditch academics, and become a photographer, following her dreams.Dorothea worked in many different cultures and societies, but all of her work was similar in one way. She showed the truth about the emotions, thoughts, and lives of these people through something as simple as a lens. Throughout her life, she traveled all over the United States and the world to show the true human spirit at capture people at their worst and best.
Popova, Maria “The Story Behind ‘Migrant Mother’ Photograph and How Dorothea Lange Almost Didn’t Take It” Brain Pickings. n.d. Accessed November 3, 2014. <www.brainpickings.org/2013/11/06/dorothea-lange-migrant-mother-elizabeth-partridge/
Coming home from an unsuccessful mission for the FSA, Dorothea Lange drove by a sign on the highway pointing to a pea pickers camp. She passed it, but immediately felt guilty. She turned around and entered the camp. Approaching a tired and hungry mother, this is when Dorothea Lange took her most iconic photo, “Migrant Mother”.
Shetterly, Robert “Americans Who Tell the Truth” Robert Shetterly n.d. Accessed September 15, 2014.
Dorothea Lange began her photography career as a studio photographer in San Francisco. In 1918, she began her traveling, first shooting Native Americans in the South. Once the Great Depression began, Lange decided to turn her lens to laboring workers. She was soon hired by the FSA to capture the lives of migrant workers (this is when she took “Migrant Mother”, her most famous picture). She later turned to Japanese-American internment camps during World War II. She visited several other countries, making photographic essays for Life Magazine, and became the first woman to be awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Smith, Dinitia “Photographs of an Episode That Lives in Infamy” The New York Times. Last modified November 6, 2006. Accessed November 3, 2014. <nytimes.com/2006/11/06/arts/design/06lang.html?_r=0>
Dorothea Lange was hired to show the Japanese internment camps during WWII. She showed their sorrow and that they are reallly true American citizens. Her photos were not published at first because of what they showed. She wasn’t allowed to photograph guards or any kind of resistance, yet she rebelled in simply showing how these people were us, and posed no threat at all.
Whitney, Stephanie “Part Two: Dorothea Lange in the Yakima Valley: Rural Poverty and Photography in the Great Depression” The Great Depression in Washington State. Last Modified 2009. Accessed September 29, 2014. <http://depts.washington.edu/depress/dorothea_lange_FSA_yakima.shtml>
The Great Depression struck migrant farmers very hard, leaving them in poverty and homelessness. The Yakima Valley was one of the most effected places struck by the Depression. After being introduced to these farmers, and being hired by the Farm Security Administration, she was inspired to take her camera to the street. She captured many of the families, stories, feelings, and lives of Yakima’s inhabitants.
Yoshiwara, Emily “Part One: Dorothea Lange’s Social Vision: Photography and The Great Depression” The Great Depression in Washington State. Last Modified 2009. Accessed September 26, 2014. <http://depts.washington.edu/depress/dorothea_lange_photography_depression.shtml>
When the price of crops was cut in half during the Depression to help the farm workers, the Farm Security Administration was founded. It hired many photographers to capture and record the farmers’ lifestyle. Among those photographers was Dorothea Lange, who was compelled to take her camera out onto the streets ever since her studio was dying down. She eventually became a social photographer. Lange’s work opened the eyes of people and served as powerful tools to alert people how the farmers were affected.
Interviews:
Elizabeth Partridge, author of “Dorothea Lange: Her Lifetime in Photography” Email. October 10, 2014.
Dorothea’s legacy of her photographs are impactful because her photographs make you feel intensely about them. She led people by creating compassion for them. With the compassion she gave them, the legislation was more helpful to those living in the migratory camps.
Meg Partridge, director of “Dorothea Lange: A Visual Life” Email. January 26, 2015.
Dorothea’s professional looking photographs, descending from her portrait background, brought a new, more preferred type of photographing that contributed to her success in many ways. Today, much of the photography has the clean edge yet media platform that is similar to hers. By stepping out of her comfort zone and using her talented ‘eye’ for her pictures, Dorothea Lange effected her audiences more and brought more emotional pictures into people’s view.
Dyanna Taylor, director of “Grab a Hunk of Lightning” and Dorothea Lange’s granddaughter. Email. February 13, 2015.
Dorothea Lange was a demanding perfectionist who has high expectations of herself and others. She was outspoken, brave, and had a great sense of fashion as well. Taylor says she inspires people to give a voice to people who are ignored, and to show the truth through your photography. Her legacy includes her success as a women photographer, all of her pictures (especially “Migrant Mother”) and photographing in an honest reality. If Dyanna Taylor could say only one thing to someone learning about Lange she would say, “It is worth discovering her lifetime of photography.”
Online Books:
Clarke, Ben “Image and Imagination: Encounters with the Photography of Dorothea Lange” Freedom Voices. Last modified 1997. Accessed January 3, 2015. <www.freedomvoices.org/new/node/1007>
Dorothea Lange was one of the most well known photographers that worked during the Great Depression. She is most known for her photograph, “The Migrant Mother”. Her work established many programs that helped people’s needs. We can still learn a lot from her photos and apply them to our life today.
Online Videos:
Thomas Anderson “Dorothea Lange: An American Odyssey” Youtube. Last modified February 19, 2014. Accessed January 5, 2015. <www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrODn0f1z0g>
Dorothea Lange was a portait photographer before the Depression who took photographs of the richer people. Once the Great Depression came upon America, and her customers couldn’t afford her business, she decided to become a street photographer, and loved the rush of it. Through her work, she captured iconic photographs such as “Migrant Mother” and “White Angel Breadline” which forever changed people’s ideas and expectations of American life.
Pinkfloydteacher “Dorothea Lange” Youtube. Last modified March 20, 2009. Accessed January 5, 2015. <<www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvOEE1rJR2l>
Dorothea Lange represented the downfall of the economy with the downfall of the people she showed in her pictures. In Lange’s career, she photographed many different kinds of people in the Depression including migrant workers, families escaping the Dust Bowl, southern people, and African Americans.
University of California Television (UCTV) “Visual Democracy: Dorothea Lange” Youtube. Last Modified November 13, 2008. Accessed January 5, 2015. <www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX-vHPUKGek>
Linda Gordon, professor of history at NYU and author of “Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits”, lectures a class at University at California. She talks about the life of Lange, and her work with migrants, the Great Depression, World War II, Japanese internments and more. Gordon sees Lange’s work as ‘democratic’ and showing America in a democratic light. She also talks about her views on how Lange’s photographs influence our political ethics.