Migrant agricultural worker's family, Nipomo, California 1936

Curator: Lange's "Migrant Mother" is searing. Captured in 1936, this gelatin-silver print immortalizes a mother and her children during the Great Depression. The print itself—what do you make of its impact beyond just the visual representation? Editor: Well, the photograph has such an iconic, almost biblical, quality, despite its subject: a poor, likely exploited worker. I'm struck by the quiet suffering captured; how does Lange negotiate the social realities and lived experiences within this piece? Curator: Exactly. Think about the material realities behind its production. Lange was employed by the Farm Security Administration. The image becomes a tool, documenting the conditions of migrant workers but also shaping public opinion and justifying governmental intervention. The very act of photographing changes the equation – labor, representation, and the agency involved. How do you see the woman’s clothing in relation to this? Editor: It seems worn and functional. It blends into the background. The clothing is less about individual expression and more about the conditions of agricultural work – maybe even symbolizing the anonymity and disposability of migrant labor. It reminds us that “style” itself has very real material prerequisites. Curator: Precisely. The gelatin-silver print isn't just a medium, it’s also a mass-producible commodity. Copies circulated widely, influencing art and political discourse alike. The materials used speak volumes about both artistic expression and socio-economic infrastructure. What did this photograph mean to you? Editor: It highlighted the raw reality of exploited labour and material precarity; that challenges us to acknowledge our active role in an evolving cycle of consumption and cultural production.