Dorothea Lange – One Of The Most Renowned Documentary Photographers
Dorothea Lange is best known for creating emotionally powerful portraits in the Depression Era America. After high school, she studied photography at Columbia University. She was raised in an environment that encouraged creativity. Her first exposure to photography was when she worked as a receptionist at Arnold Genthe’s portraitist. He taught her the basics of photography and gave her a love for design and quality. She lived a somewhat nomadic life after graduating from Columbia. One of her most notable early works was about San Francisco’s soup kitchens. She captured accurately the challenges of unemployment in San Francisco at the time.
Lange took the photograph she called “White Angel Breadline” during the height of the Great Depression in 1933. This photograph was her “breakthrough into document photography”, according to Lange. The photograph is both strong artistically as well as emotionally. The shot shows the subject with his back facing the other subjects. This gives the impression of being alone in a cramped space and loneliness. His clothes and head are stained, and he is bowing, elements that show what it was really like to live that way. Lange’s photos of San Francisco homeless people gained much attention and Lange was quickly approached by the Farm Security Administration. Lange was asked by the Farm Security Administration (FSA) to document California’s Dust Bowl (Burns) living conditions. Lange spent much time in the area with people and captured some of her most memorable images. Lange took “Migrant Mother” from Nipomo in California in 1936. The photograph, which shows a mother holding her two children while shielding their faces from the sun, expresses worry and exhaustion. This photo is believed to be one the greatest documentary photos from that era. The Library of Congress now has the picture. Lange’s photographs of the workers showed the extent of their suffering and helped to make real changes. FSA used Lange’s photos to advocate for better sanitation and protection of migrant workers arriving in the region. This was her most famous area of photography.
Lange was a document photographer for over 30 years. After documenting the workers of California, Lange moved on to the Japanese American internment camp in the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor. She also traveled internationally, adding to her portfolio.
Lange had been working on an exhibition of some of her work that would be displayed at Museum of Modern Art. She died in 1965. Lange is still well-known for her amazing documentation of human suffering. Her personal life was difficult because she was a travel photographer and often had to go on assignment. She was also a mother to three children, including a divorce and a remarriage. This would have been the most difficult part of her job. It would be difficult to know where or how long you’ll be there next.
