by Mia Hill

Created on: November 01, 2009

Perhaps one of the greatest photojournalist that has ever lived, Dorothea Lange played an integral role in the visual documenting of American history with her very distinctive images that became icons in the photography industry. Lange was born May 26, 1895 in Hoboken, New Jersey and died on October 11, 1965. At her mother's prompting, Lange initially considered a career in teaching but in 1918 she moved to San Francisco where she set up a very successful portrait studio for her wealthy clientele. The experience of being raised in a single-parent home and suffering from the permanent effects of childhood polio enabled her to empathize with the sufferings of those whom she photographed. Lange used her photographs to created permanent visual records of the underprivileged she encountered during The Great Depression of 1929.

Lange's concern for the plight of the poor and destitute, especially the farmers who were displaced during the depression, gained her recognition from many organizations including the United States government. Turning down the opportunity to study on the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship award for excellence in photography, Lange chose to work for the government documenting the effects the depression had on the people in America. She was particularly concerned about the plight of the Japanese-Americans who were displaced during World War II. She chronicled the pain and suffering as well as the lifestyles of the underprivileged with her camera lens. The people that she photographed and their circumstances become her photography studio. She took to the streets of San Francisco assimilating into the lives she photo documented.

In 1935, driven by her desire to improve the conditions of those suffering as a result of The Depression, Lange joined the Farm Security Administration. One of the primary objectives of her photographs was to relay the stories of the unemployed and their struggle for survival to the people in other communities. During the time that she was working for the government Lange developed a greater awareness and compassion for the less fortunate. Not only was she influenced by her surroundings, but she also greatly influenced those around her with her passion and style. Although she was hired by the government, her personal crusade was to gain a wider audience by making the wealthy aware of the circumstances of those who were unable to find work after the 1929 stock market collapse.

Just as her work played an important role in shaping the attitudes of Americans in history, Lange's photos still continue to inspire people, photographers in particular. Although Lange's images are black and white they humanized her subjects in a way in which no words or motion picture could ever do; Lange described this feeling "as if drawn by a magnet" when referring to one of her most famous photos Migrant Mother. Another example of this humanization can be seen in White Angle Breadline, the magnificent clarity and superior quality of her artistry makes viewers feel as if they are present in that breadline.

The universal language of Lange's pictures needs no interpretations, no translations her message is clear and powerful and easily understood by all observers. She has made it possible for people to see the Aesthetic Realism by the sufferings of others. Lange touches our hearts and exposes our humanity through the simple beauty of her photos. Lange's photographs have provided a wealth of information about the lifestyles of the underprivileged during the 1920's to the people of that era, and for the many generations that followed.

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