"Migrant Mother" is a famous photograph taken by Dorothea Lange during the Great Depression in the United States. The photograph features a mother named Florence Owens Thompson and her children, who were migrant farm workers during the 1930s. This photograph is an iconic representation of the struggle and hardship faced by migrant workers during that era. In this article, we will delve deeper into the background of the photograph and the story behind it.
The Great Depression was a time of economic crisis in the United States. The country was hit by a severe economic downturn, which led to widespread unemployment, poverty, and hunger. Many Americans were forced to migrate to other states in search of work. These migrants were often poor and had to live in makeshift camps in order to survive. Florence Owens Thompson and her family were one such family.
In 1936, Dorothea Lange was working as a photographer for the Resettlement Administration, a government agency tasked with providing relief to farmers and migrant workers affected by the Great Depression. She was traveling through California when she came across a campsite in Nipomo, where she saw Florence Owens Thompson and her children. She immediately recognized the hardship and struggle on their faces and decided to take a photograph.
The photograph shows Florence Owens Thompson sitting in front of a makeshift tent with her children huddled around her. She appears tired and worn out, with her hands clasped together in her lap. Her children, who are wrapped in ragged clothes, huddle close to her, seeking warmth and comfort. The backdrop of the photograph is the barren landscape of California's Central Valley, which serves as a reminder of the harsh conditions faced by migrant workers.
The photograph was an instant success and soon became an icon of the Great Depression. It was published in newspapers and magazines across the country and became a symbol of the struggle faced by migrant workers. The photograph was later used by the Resettlement Administration to raise awareness of the plight of migrant workers and to garner support for relief efforts.
After the photograph was taken, Florence Owens Thompson became an unwilling celebrity. She resented the attention and felt that the photograph had portrayed her as a victim rather than as a strong and capable woman. Nevertheless, the photograph has come to represent the strength and resilience of the American people during one of the country's darkest periods.
In conclusion, "Migrant Mother" is a powerful photograph that captures the struggles of migrant workers during the Great Depression. It is a reminder of the hardships faced by millions of Americans during that era and serves as a symbol of the strength and resilience of the human spirit. The story of Florence Owens Thompson and her family is one of determination and perseverance in the face of adversity, and it is a story that continues to inspire and captivate audiences to this day.
2. One of the most famous old pictures in history is “Migrant Mother,” taken by photographer
Dorothea Lange during the Great Depression in the United States. The picture shows a
worn-out-looking woman with three young children huddled around her, and it has become
a symbol of the poverty and hardship experienced by many during that era.
The story behind the photograph is equally compelling. In 1936, Lange was working for the
Farm Security Administration (FSA), a government agency set up to help poor farmers and
migrant workers during the Depression. She was driving through California when she saw a
sign for a pea-picker’s camp and decided to stop and take a look.
She visited the camp and came across a woman named Florence Owens Thompson, a
32-year-old mother of seven, who was sitting with her children and looking exhausted. She
had just sold the tires off her car to buy food. Thompson’s husband had abandoned the
family, and they had been traveling from farm to farm looking for work.
3. Lange asked if she could take her picture, and Thompson was hesitant at first but
eventually agreed. Lange took several shots, but the most famous one was the one where
Thompson had buried her face in her hands. The resulting photograph shows Thompson
with a worried expression, her children clinging to her, and her hand on her chin as if deep
in thought. The image became an iconic representation of the hardship and suffering faced
by migrant workers during the Great Depression.
4. The photograph was published in newspapers across the country, and it quickly became a
symbol of the plight of the poor during the economic crisis. The image also helped to bring
attention to the work of the Farm Security Administration and the need for government
support for struggling families.
The picture’s impact was so great that it led to increased government aid to migrant
workers, and it has since been recognized as one of the most iconic images of the 20th
century. Today, “Migrant Mother” remains one of the most famous photographs in history
and continues to evoke powerful emotions in viewers. It is a testament to the power of
5. photography to capture the essence of a moment and to shine a light on important social
issues.
It wasn’t until June 1960 that Lange told her side of the story in an article
titled “The Assignment I’ll Never Forget.” It was almost a quarter century
later, so we’ll forgive a few factual inaccuracies, but in it we learn the key
to all these errors: After a month on the road she was in a rush to get home.
As she recalled, “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 did not ask her name
or her history. She told me her age, that she was 32. 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.”
Thompson’s family members so strongly objected to this account—feeling that it
6. discounted her ability to provide for them—that I decided to head to the
Library of Congress to see what I could discover there.
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