Once a Missouri farmer, now a migratory farm laborer. San Joaquin Valley, California  c. 1936 - 1965

This photograph was taken by Dorothea Lange in California’s San Joaquin Valley, likely in the late 1930s. It depicts a man who was once a farmer in Missouri, but who now works as a migratory farm laborer. The image speaks to the widespread displacement and economic hardship of the Great Depression, with many people forced off their land and into a nomadic existence. Lange was working for the Farm Security Administration at the time, whose mission it was to document the effects of the Depression and the Dust Bowl on rural communities. The image’s power lies in its directness, and its appeal to the viewer’s empathy. Lange’s photograph is a potent reminder of the human cost of economic and environmental upheaval. Historians like myself can use documents from organizations like the Farm Security Administration to better understand the social context in which art like this was made. By studying these works, we can gain insight into the ways in which art can both reflect and shape our understanding of social issues.