In March 1936, Dorothea Lange, a government photographer took a series of photos in a pea-pickers camp in Nipomo, California. Dorothea Lange’s most famous photograph Migrant Mother is a historical piece that has given society a view into the past. This photograph includes a mother and three of her children, as well as a small glimpse into what their living space looks like. This image and the 5 others in the series were taken to show the government and the public how the rural areas needed help during the Great Depression. Although the photo was taken as a publicity image, Lange also uses it to show beauty in unlikely places. The photo made an impact on the American public, telling the story and struggle of a generation, and has now become one of the most famous works of the period. Lange uses techniques to evoke emotional responses and send a message to the American public, showing the culture of the Great Depression, and symbols of strength in motherhood, beauty, and suffering.

The Great Depression made an impact on the United States like no other. During this time it was common for lower class families to live in make-shift shacks, children were malnourished, and people learned to live without money and security. Photographers like Dorothea Lange used their skills to inform the general public about the dire conditions people were living in, in hopes to spark change. In the caption of the photograph it is mentioned that the woman has seven children. However, in the series, no more than 4 children are shown. Lange did not use all of the children because at this time, having seven children exceeded social norms and she wanted to prevent giving a biased opinion to viewers. She includes the children to symbolize innocence, because we see children as innocent beings. The use of children in these photos evokes emotion which allows the viewer to empathize with their misfortunes, thus furthering Lange’s cause. Her intentions through the series and this photo were to show the family exactly how they were, with tattered clothes, messy hair, dirt, sadness; in order to inform the government and public of the misfortunes that the poorest had to deal with, no matter how destitute.  

The role the mother plays in this photo symbolizes selflessness and strength. For the children in the photo, the mother is their source of strength and hope which unites them as one family despite their situation. Not shown in the series anywhere is the father figure of this family. This suggests what many associate as a running theme throughout the Great Depression: many husbands left their families out of shame for their situations or went to find better jobs. Because the father of this family is not pictured, it strengthens Lange’s purpose for documenting their lives, and it enables viewers to have insight to people’s real life situations. It also allows viewers to see the value the mother has to this situation because she is the sole provider for her family and does all she can to keep her family together. It is revealed in one of the captions that the mother is only thirty-two years old. This allows the viewer to assess how stress and pressure of being a mother affects how she looks and how her emotions read to those who see it. Although the mother is pictured with a somber demeanor, one can still see strength in her face. It may have been unintentional to capture the picture this way, but it allows the viewer to empathize with a mothers’ situation as well as her maternal qualities to be a constant factor of stability and strength for her family.

A running theme in many of Dorothea Lange’s works is showing beauty where most would not think to look for it. Instead of just focusing on the living situation and poverty of the family, the viewer is able to get a glimpse of the beauty that can be hidden in the most unlikely of places. In Migrant Mother, we see a desperate woman who is hungry and tired yet still beautiful. Within the anxiety which has covered her face, we are able to see that she is actually a beautiful woman. Lange used positioning to enhance the messages of her photos as we see particularly in Migrant Mother. Positioning played a key part in photography during this time period because of the limitations of the camera. Unlike todays cameras, those used during the Great Depression forced models to be specifically positioned because very few frames were able to be shot and processed quickly. Lange positioned the children’s faces away from the camera so that the viewer can focus on the beauty and anxiety of the mother’s face. This was a bold move, but ultimately enabled a powerful picture to come out of it. 

Dorothea Lange’s photography helped to change an entire generation of people. Her quest to expose people to the tragedies that were happening in the country enabled her to take some of the most beautiful and impacting pictures in history. Lange’s techniques show symbols of strength, beauty and culture to create a truly wonderful work of art which stood as an icon for an era and still stands as an icon in American history today. 
