Migrant Mother Nipomo Valley Analysis

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Migrant Mother, Nipomo Valley is a two-dimensional Gelatin Silver Print, taken by Dorothea Lange in 1936. The black and white photograph is of a woman and her three children. The mother is facing forward, but not looking at the camera. She has dark hair and a light skin tone. Her right hand is against her chin. Her face shows wrinkles and she is appears to be frowning, as if worried. She is wearing a checkered shirt unbuttoned to her chest and a second shirt over it. The outer shirt sleeves only go to her elbows and appear to be tattered at the end of the sleeves. In her left arm is a baby. It is unclear whether he is wrapped in a blanket or a coat. His face appears dirty. One child is almost hiding behind her right shoulder and not facing the camera with his head down. The other child is leaning his hands and head on the mothers left shoulder. His shirt has holes in it, his hair is disheveled, and his hand appears dirty. He is also facing away from the camera.…show more content…
She is the only figure facing forward. Her face and hand on her chin, along with her very pale skin tone create the foreground (and focal point) of the image. Lange uses value to create the focal point with the pale skin tone. The baby is another light part of the photograph and is in the right foreground. He is almost hidden and therefore not the focal point, although being light in color value. The darkest values of the photograph are the two children facing away from the camera. The clothing of the four figures in this image provide examples of textures. The baby is in a heavy, dirty coat or blanket. The child on the mothers left shoulder is wearing a shirt with holes and the shirt of the other child has a pocket. The mother is wearing a tattered shirt over a checkered shirt. This photograph uses shallow space. The four figures make up the entire image and there is no view into the

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