charissanewell
Dorothea Lange, Children of Migrant Workers, CA, 1940
I found this photo by Lange online from the Multimedia Library, and unfortunately there was no information on the size or type of print.
Dorothea Lange was born in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1895. Early on in her life she had a love for looking at people and places and a desire to take photographs of them. This grew out of her wanderings in New York’s lower-east side and downtown Manhattan after school, when she would walk to meet her mother, who was a librarian. When Dorothea Lange was older she did not become a teacher like her mother wanted. Instead, she showed her independence by going to the studio of a famous portrait photographer, Arnold Genthe, and asking him for a job. He accepted her, and so Lange began her career as a photographer learning all the basics, as well as the artistry and understanding needed to take photographs of people that truly portrayed them for who they were. This understanding helped Lange during her years documenting the events and people of the Great Depression, Dust Bowl, and WWII’s Japanese internment camps. Many of her photographs are the visual representation and connection that people today have for the events of that time period. Lange’s consideration for the stories and lives of those people is demonstrated through her work, showing the true human condition in the face of hardships, and the spirit and strength that still persists. Her husband was an agricultural economist named Paul Taylor, and in 1952 Lange co-founded the photographic magazine Aperture.
She died of cancer on October 11, 1965, having a life and career that impacted many people in important ways.
This photo does not seem too interesting at first glance, but what caught my interest was looking at the faces of each child in the photo and trying to read their facial expressions. Are they bored, unhappy, or serious? What was their life like at this time? The dirty clothes and bare feet or raggedy shoes give clues, but I think Lange captured much more than that in this photo. Although this picture shows the not so easy life of these migrant worker children; I think that their strength and courage is portrayed in their expressions and postures. The three girls in the middle of the photo are connected physically giving a sense of protection and friendship, perhaps they are sisters. It doesn't seem that Lange specifically posed the children, and I like that about this photo because it captures each child's energy and individuality. The dark tree anchors the center of the photo and allows for a great contrast between the bright light surrounding the children and their dark shadows.
Dorothea Lange, Children of Migrant Workers, CA, 1940
I found this photo by Lange online from the Multimedia Library, and unfortunately there was no information on the size or type of print.
Dorothea Lange was born in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1895. Early on in her life she had a love for looking at people and places and a desire to take photographs of them. This grew out of her wanderings in New York’s lower-east side and downtown Manhattan after school, when she would walk to meet her mother, who was a librarian. When Dorothea Lange was older she did not become a teacher like her mother wanted. Instead, she showed her independence by going to the studio of a famous portrait photographer, Arnold Genthe, and asking him for a job. He accepted her, and so Lange began her career as a photographer learning all the basics, as well as the artistry and understanding needed to take photographs of people that truly portrayed them for who they were. This understanding helped Lange during her years documenting the events and people of the Great Depression, Dust Bowl, and WWII’s Japanese internment camps. Many of her photographs are the visual representation and connection that people today have for the events of that time period. Lange’s consideration for the stories and lives of those people is demonstrated through her work, showing the true human condition in the face of hardships, and the spirit and strength that still persists. Her husband was an agricultural economist named Paul Taylor, and in 1952 Lange co-founded the photographic magazine Aperture.
She died of cancer on October 11, 1965, having a life and career that impacted many people in important ways.
This photo does not seem too interesting at first glance, but what caught my interest was looking at the faces of each child in the photo and trying to read their facial expressions. Are they bored, unhappy, or serious? What was their life like at this time? The dirty clothes and bare feet or raggedy shoes give clues, but I think Lange captured much more than that in this photo. Although this picture shows the not so easy life of these migrant worker children; I think that their strength and courage is portrayed in their expressions and postures. The three girls in the middle of the photo are connected physically giving a sense of protection and friendship, perhaps they are sisters. It doesn't seem that Lange specifically posed the children, and I like that about this photo because it captures each child's energy and individuality. The dark tree anchors the center of the photo and allows for a great contrast between the bright light surrounding the children and their dark shadows.