Migrant Mother was taken by Dorothea Lange in 1936. She was working for the Resettlement Agency and commissioned by the united states federal government. This photograph was taken during the epidemic known as the great depression. Families all over the united states were going bankrupt. Affluent suburban families were living in poverty and those who were less fortunate were left with little to nothing. The United states is a safe haven to the refugees of the globe, a country built on the rags to riches story we know to be the "American Dream". Those who came to the united states with dreams of working hard and prospering were horribly disappointed when landing in the states in the midst of the worst recession in the history of the free market. Lange's photo represents the struggle and disappointment felt by American migrants in the 1930s. 

Lange's choice of media allows her to capture raw emotion and the despair of this struggling family. Using a photograph to document this moment does however come with some constraints. She can not alter the information or put too much of a personal bias on the project. "A picture is worth a thousand words" resonates when you look into the eyes of this mother struggling so hard to provide for her young boys. This picture presents the anguish how it is for this mother. So affordances gained by choosing to photograph the situation are the emotion being seen in the mother's face and eyes. The viewer is also able to see the condition of the clothes the family are living in and how they look physically. With a photograph you are able to see the tears in the families clothing and their dirty and un-brushed hair. Small aesthetic details are gained from using 

The focus of the picture is on the entire family. The boys are resting in what seems to e despair and are clothed in tattered dirty rags. The family appears to be homeless judging by the condition of their mother's sweater and the lean-to tent that they are resting in. Shooting the photograph in the makeshift tent that the family was living in adds to the realness of the struggle they are going through. A young promising family being forced to sleep on the ground and wear ripped clothing. The viewer is naturally drawn to the face of this young mother. The value of the photo is very neutral however the mother's face is the brightest feature of the work. She shows years of wrinkles that seem to be premature. 

She is holding her head up with hand against her jaw. Her body languages is oozing with hardship. She is slumped over and crossing her arms. Her jaw line and cheek bones are tightened, a typical feature of one who is starving or malnourished.The boys holding on to their mother shows their bond as a family. Those who struggle together build a special and close bond as they work together to overcome. To quote Malcolm James McCormick "We only grow from anguish". 

The boys are seen facing away from their mother as she looks off into the distance. She has a look of uncertainty. This uncertainty in her facial expression speaks of not only her uncertainty for her future but her doubt of eating a meal that day, or being able to obtain fresh drinking water. The boys facing away from her represents the family disconnect that is being forced by the depression. The boys would have to scavenge for food and their mother feels as if she is loosing her little boys. If she is not able to provide for them they will be forced into shelters or a life of crime, both of which will keep their relationship growing farther and farther apart. 

The use of black and white exposure as opposed to color in the photo adds a depth to its overall meaning. The lack of color saturation heightens the primary message of the photo: depression. The scene is more desperate, sad and seemingly hopeless when an exclusively black and white landscape. Color would seem out of place and almost obtrusive in a scene where clearly spirits are very low and prospects seeming non existent. From a modal inspection the viewer could observe that the black and white makes certain shadows and highlights more prominent. The woman's wrinkles, the dirt and patches on the boys' rags. It elevates further the gravity of the desperate situation this poor family faces during the Great Depression. The harsh shadows, the rough lines and the cold contrast between light and dark are all made clear to the viewer through the use of the black and white exposure.

