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  • Writer's pictureChloë Stent

Dorothea Lange

Dorothea Lange 26th may 1895 was an American photojournalist and documentary photographer most famous for her piece 'the migrant mother' .

In March 1936 Nipomo California Lange was hired by Roy Striker to document and photograph the life of the poor rural workers in a propaganda effort to elect political support to receive government aid to help those in need. Lange was driving home from a long days work when she drove past a pea pickers camp and because of this she pulled over and captured many photographs of the 3000 people within their makeshift community which had no work due to early morning frost ruining the crops that day, however she wasn't there long as she wanted to get home due to a long day at work but before she left Lange captured one of the most iconic pictures in the history of photography 'the migrant mother' .

The woman in the image had been surviving off frozen crops which she had been sharing with the rest of the town and her children, she asked no questions when Lange was taking the images, Lange took many images of the mother and her children before capturing the most famous one in the series. Lange's effort to take these images was able to reach her audience of political support and the government but it also reached the support worldwide which changes the history of migrant workers as they were given support and also a new way of life.



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