Migrant Mother 1936

Dorothea Lange made this black and white photograph, "Migrant Mother", sometime in the mid-1930s. It shows a mother and her children, dispossessed and worn down by the Great Depression. Lange worked for the Farm Security Administration, a New Deal agency that hired photographers to document the impact of the economic crisis on rural communities. This image quickly became an iconic representation of the suffering endured during this period. The woman's furrowed brow, the children huddled around her, and the overall somber tone convey a sense of desperation. But this image is not neutral. It’s a carefully composed piece of propaganda that reflects the social and political context of the time. It aimed to generate public support for government programs designed to alleviate poverty and assist struggling families. To fully understand its impact, researchers consult contemporary newspapers, government documents, and the photographer’s own writings. Analyzing this image helps us understand the public role of art, and to ask ourselves: what are the politics of imagery?