In March 1936, Dorothea Lange, a government photographer took a series of photos in a pea-pickers camp in Nipomo, California. 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. 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. Although the photo was taken as a publicity image, Lange also uses it to show beauty in unlikely places. Lange uses techniques like positioning and focus 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. The use of children in these photos evokes emotion which allows the viewer to empathize with their misfortunes. She includes the children to symbolize innocence, because we see children as innocent beings. Her intention of the series was to show the family exactly how they were, with tattered clothes, messy hair, dirt, and sadness; in order to inform the government and public of the misfortunes that the poorest had to deal with, no matter how destitute. Lange’s works helped to spark change in society by influencing government and general society action, from local soup and bread lines to FDR’s New Deal reforms. The outcome of messages like Migrant Mother helped to create a generation of people who are looked upon as incredibly brave, strong and determined.  

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 unfortunate situation. Not shown in the series anywhere is the father figure of this family. This was common throughout the Great Depression because many husbands left their families out of shame for their situations or went in search of better jobs. Because the father of this family is not pictured, it shows how many really lived their lives, and it enables viewers to have insight to real life situations. It also allows viewers to see the value the mother has to this family because she is the sole provider for her children and does all she can to keep her family together. “Pickers” during the Great Depression went to farms throughout the states in search of work to feed their families. During Lange’s documentations in California, fields had been destroyed by freezing rain, leaving workers with no food or pay. Lange documented in her journal that the Thompson family had sold their tires from their car to buy food and that they lived off of frozen vegetables from the field and birds the children killed. The viewer is able 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 the mother’s misfortunes 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 face of the mother. In Migrant Mother, we see a desperate woman who is hungry and tired yet still beautiful. Within the anxiety which covers 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 today’s 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 beautiful and 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 United States 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 and influential work of art. Migrant Mother influenced radical government and social change which created a monumental generation of people and affected cultural awareness on both a social and political level and stands as an icon for an era in American history.
