Untitled (plow girl, near Eutaw, Alabama) Possibly 1936

Editor: This is Dorothea Lange's "Untitled (plow girl, near Eutaw, Alabama)." The stark black and white, along with the close-up perspective, give it a very direct, almost confrontational feel. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a powerful commentary on the intersection of race, gender, and class in the rural South. Lange doesn't romanticize rural poverty; she presents the harsh realities of agricultural labor. Consider the absence of her face. What does it mean to focus on her laboring body? Editor: It definitely removes any sense of individual identity, focusing on the systemic issues. I hadn't thought about that. Curator: Exactly. And the "near Eutaw, Alabama" detail roots it in a specific, historically charged location. What do you think that adds? Editor: It makes it about more than just one girl. It’s about a whole history of oppression and resilience. Curator: Precisely. Photography like this isn't just documentation; it's a call to acknowledge and challenge those power structures.