Native of Indiana in a migratory labor contractor's camp, near Calipatria, California  1937

Dorothea Lange made this photograph of a Native of Indiana in a migratory labor contractor's camp, near Calipatria, California. The tones are muted, almost faded, like a memory. It’s a portrait of labor, literally, with the subject’s hands wrapped around a shovel. Those hands are so expressive, almost swollen from use, and those gloves suggest both protection and the indignity of the work. I love the way her gaze meets ours head-on, no pretense, no coyness. It's a document of a specific moment, but it also touches on something timeless about the human condition, the grit and resilience of people facing hard times. Lange was interested in that tension, she sought out the realness of things. Lange reminds me of Walker Evans, another photographer who turned the camera towards everyday lives. There’s something about her work that feels so direct, unvarnished, and deeply empathetic.