Scene along "Skid Row," Howard Street, San Francisco, California 1937

Dorothea Lange captured this scene on Howard Street, San Francisco, using her camera as a tool for social commentary. The photograph presents a stark image of a man lying on the street, presumably in the area known as "Skid Row." Lange was known for her documentary photography, particularly during the Great Depression, where she aimed to capture the reality of the dispossessed and marginalized. The visual codes of the image are simple. Its monochromatic palette emphasizes the desolation of the scene. In terms of social context, this photograph reflects the deep economic hardships of the era and challenges the prevailing cultural narratives of progress and prosperity. As historians, our task is to examine the social and institutional context in which Lange produced this image. By consulting archives and studying the history of social reform movements, we can better understand the photograph as a powerful critique of social inequality. The meaning of this photograph is inseparable from the social conditions that produced it and our role is to illuminate those conditions through careful research and analysis.