Dorothea Lange's The Photo, Migrant Mother

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The Photo, Migrant Mother, shot by Dorothea Lange, is said to be the one of the most familiar photos of the 20th century. It meets all of the factors to become an iconic image such as; popularity, being able to evoke a strong emotional response, and having been widely reproduced. It became so well known, due to the story behind the image. The image shows viewers the pain and despair in the mother’s eyes regarding the struggle. I chose the image due to how big of an icon it was during the depressive era; one of the darkest times for the United States states economy and the citizens of the U.S., they say that a picture says a thousand words, this image says it all. The photo is of a woman and her family. Six pictures were originally taken from that day, by Dorothea Lange, but one picture caught the eyes of everybody in the nation,”These heart-rending images concisely and powerfully told a sad tale”(Nardo,10). Dorothea Lange was out in California photographing pea pickers during the depressive era. During her project, Lange finds herself in a campsite in, Nipomo, California full of out-of-work pea pickers, when she runs into the woman and her family. Before Lange took…show more content…
She then discovers that the woman in the pictures name is Florence Owens Thompson, after forty years of mystery. To end all of the curiosity Florence chose to finally tell her story. Florence said, “There's no way we sold our tires, because we didn't have any to sell. The only ones we had were on the Hudson and we drove off in them. I don't believe Dorothea Lange was lying, I just think she had one story mixed up with another. Or she was borrowing to fill in what she didn't have.”(“Florence Owens Thompson”). Florence then wrote a letter to the Modesto Bee which headlined as “Woman Fighting, Mad over Famous Depression Photo”. She wasn’t all too happy with the uncredited recognition given to the

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