‘’Migrant Mother’’

Picture taken by Dorothea Lange

Presentation made by Krisztina HogyeYear 9B

Florence Owens Thompson and her children in 1936 in Nipomo, California

Why the picture was taken?

• Dorothea Loren was on a trip photographing migratory farm labour. In 1960 Dorothea Lange gave this account of the experience:

• ‘’I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions. I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. I did not ask her name or her history. She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed. She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food. There she sat in that lean- to tent with her children huddled around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her, and so she helped me. There was a sort of equality about it. ‘’

How the picture was made

• The picture was made with a Graflex camera. The Graflex camera was invented by William F. Folmer in 1898. There are different Graflex cameras for different occasions. Dorothea used a camera which was good for large views. It could have been used outside and inside too.

Publications where the picture was featured

• San Francisco News on March 10, 1936. In the article was written: "Ragged, Hungry, Broke, Harvest Workers Live in Squaller." • San Francisco News on March 11, 1936. Just one day later then the one

before. Next to the picture was written: "What Does the 'New Deal' Mean to This Mother and Her Children?" • A Journal of American Material Culture in Spring 1986.• Curtis, James. Mind's Eye, Mind's Truth in 1989.• Dunn, Geoffrey. "The heart of a woman." Santa Maria Sun, vol. 2 on

February 15, 2002.• Metro: Santa Clara Valley's Weekly Newspaper, vol. 10 in January 19-25,

1995.• New Times: San Luis Obispo in 2002.• San Jose Mercury News in August 21, 1983. He wrote:‘’Migrant Mother' Now Lies Dying: Subject of Photo Racked by Cancer.'‘• Rochester, NY, Democrat and Chronicle on August 25, 1983. IT

wrote: "A Haunting Symbol of the Depression Struggles for Her Life, Pleads For

Help." • Heyman, Therese T. Celebrating a Collection: the Work of Dorothea Lange.

Oakland: Oakland Museum, 1978 • The American West: The Magazine of Western History in May 1970.• Sprague, Roger. Migrant Mother: The story as told by her Grandson. On

March 15, 2004

Why is the picture a good picture?

• We see physical strength and also worry. The disposition of her body and her chin in her hand shows that she is worried. She is worried for her children, what life is going to give them in the future. She doesn’t look like she is rich: They don’t have proper clothing. The picture influences people. It represents a lesson on migrant worker because it is a truthful depiction of the living conditions and emotional experiences of migrant workers during the Depression.

Something interesting about the picture:

• I find it very interesting that the mother’s thumb was removed in the lower right hand corner. The photographer, Dorothea Lange thought that it was distracting.

Why the picture is significant:

• This picture is significant because back then was The Great Depression. The depression originated in the United Sates, starting with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929. It spread fast to almost every country in the world. Many people got suddenly very poor, they didn’t even have enough money to by food and keep up with living. But they didn’t only suffer through the national economic crisis, but also natural disasters. Floods and dust storms destroyed their crops and livelihoods. So many families had to leave their fields and take up work as migrant labourers. Florence Owens Thompson’s family also has suffered through a hard time. They ate frozen vegetables from the fields for days. They are worried of what will happen next, and how they are going to survive the disaster.

Presenting Information

• I choose to present my information this way because I find it nice to make a slide show of projects. This is what I usually use to present an information. I know how to use Microsoft PowerPoint and so it is easy to work with it.

The picture

• Dorothea Lange took in total 6 pictures of the family. But only the Migrant Mother became world famous because in this picture in her eyes and the position of her and her children shows that she is worried and she doesn’t know what to do.

The other 6 pictures