migrant mother dorothea lange

There was a sort of equality about it. Lange, however, sent them to the San Francisco News before even sending them to the Resettlement Administration in Washington, D.C. Troy Owens, one of Thompson's sons, recounted:[3]. She told me her age, that she was 32. [17] The stamp printing was unusual, as daughters Katherine McIntosh (on the left in the stamp) and Norma Rydlewski (in Thompson's arms in the stamp) were alive at the time of the printing; usually, the Postal Service does not print stamps of individuals who have not been dead for at least 10 years. The image which later became known as Migrant Mother "achieved near mythical status, symbolizing, if not defining, an entire era in United States history". "[1], Florence Owens Thompson was born Florence Leona Christie on September 1, 1903, in Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma. Dorothea Lange, American documentary photographer whose portraits of displaced farmers during the Great Depression greatly influenced later documentary and journalistic photography. First of a series. There are no known restrictions on the use of Lange's "Migrant Mother" images. This guide discusses photographer Dorothea Lange's work, provides other views of Florence Owens Thompson (the Migrant Mother), and lists additional resources. Captured by documentary photographer Dorothea Lange in 1936, the image of a worried but resilient mother was … As she waited, photographer Dorothea Lange, working for the Resettlement Administration, drove up and started taking photos of Thompson and her family. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed. She took seven images in the course of ten minutes. The San Francisco News ran the pictures almost immediately and reported that 2,500 to 3,500 migrant workers were starving in Nipomo, California. [8] For example, one of the file cards reads:[9]. Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California. She said she'd send me a copy. "An Appeal For A Face From The Depression", "Girl from iconic Great Depression photo: 'We were ashamed, Overview of the Migrant Mother series at the LOC, Video of interview of Florence Owens Thompson, Interview with Katherine McIntosh and Norma Rydlewski (Katherine is the baby in the photo and Norma was four years-old when the image was taken); 36 minutes - produced by Blackside for, Article on the photo shoot and reinterpretation of an image, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florence_Owens_Thompson&oldid=997340851, People notable for being the subject of a specific photograph, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 31 December 2020, at 01:58. While she waited, she was approached by an apparently friendly photographer named Dorothea Lange, who was touring the Central Valley at the request of the federal government to document the plight of migrant laborers. That's one thing she did do. The photograph that has become known as "Migrant Mother" is one of a series of photographs that Dorothea Lange made of Florence Owens Thompson and her children in March of 1936 in Nipomo, California. She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food. [3] The family migrated west with other Owens relatives to Oroville, California, where they worked in the saw mills and on the farms of the Sacramento Valley. From the New York Public Library Then in 1978, a woman named Florence Owens Thompson wrote a … (33.81 x 26.19 cm) (image) 13 7/8 x 11 in. She didn't ask my name. Well, how about one that's worth 169,000 words and 20,000 pounds of food? It was expensive, sensitive to changes in temperature, and difficult to process. Thompson later recalled periods when she picked 400–500 pounds (180–230 kg) of cotton from first daylight until after it was too dark to work. Mother of seven children. Lange’s most famous photograph almost didn’t happen, and its lasting impact was something of a mystery to her. Title: Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California; Date Created: 1936; origin: United States; Physical Dimensions: w10.31 x h13.31 in (image) Photographer: Dorothea Lange; Measurements: 13 5/16 x 10 5/16 in. Roy Stryker called Migrant Mother the "ultimate" photo of the Depression Era: "[Lange] never surpassed it. Migrant Mother, 1936 Lange had just completed a month-long photographic assignment and was driving back home in a wind-driven rain when she came upon a sign for the camp. Dorothea Lange. [3] In 1933, Thompson had another child, returned to Oklahoma for a time, and then was joined by her parents as they migrated to Shafter, California, north of Bakersfield. [21] By September, the family had collected $35,000 in donations to pay for her medical care. Florence died of "stroke, cancer and heart problems" at Scotts Valley, California, on September 16, 1983 at age 80. Lange was concluding a month's trip photographing migratory farm labor around the state for what was then the Resettlement Administration. In ten minutes, Lange snapped six photos of Owens and her children. Thompson then worked in the fields and in restaurants to support her six children. Age thirty-two. Face of hard times has a big payday. Prints & Photographs Division staff During the 1930s, the family worked as migrant farm workers following the crops in California and at times into Arizona. (As a rule, RA photographers did not record subject names, and Lange had promised not to reveal Thompson’s identity.) [12] Thompson was quoted as saying: "I wish she [Lange] hadn't taken my picture. [11] Thompson and her family had moved on by the time the food arrived,[11] and were working near Watsonville, California. I done a little bit of everything to make a living for my kids. It seems that the published newspaper reports about this camp were later distilled into captions for the series, which explains inaccuracies on the file cards in the Library of Congress. But “Dorothea Lange: Migrant Mother,” a new book from the Museum of Modern Art, offers fresh insights as it weaves a compelling tale about some little-explored details. A conversation with Eve Schillo, Assistant Curator, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Steven Zucker. The original negatives are 4x5" film. "The Assignment I’ll Never Forget". Dorothea Lange's 1936 photograph of a worried migrant mother is the single most iconic image of the Great Depression, and one of the most famous pictures of … Most of the 2,500 However, it is, unmistakably, the mother from that photograph. View Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California by Dorothea Lange sold at Passion & Humanity: The Susie Tompkins Buell Collection on New York Auction 4 April 2019. Years later, Thompson told an interviewer that when she cooked food for her children that day, other children appeared from the pea pickers' camp asking, "Can I have a bite? The "Migrant Mother" by Dorothea Lange Thesis Statement The photograph of the "Migrant Mother" was taken by Dorothea Lange in March 1936 during her trip to Nimpo during the Great Depression. Migrant Mother became the most iconic image of the 160,000 Dorothea Lange took to document the Great Depression. "Migrant Mother" by Dorothea Lange, Public Domain. This marriage brought her far greater financial security than she had previously enjoyed. The story of how Dorothea Lange created perhaps the most iconic photograph in American history. (American, 1895–1965) 1936. I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. Dorothea Lange (born Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn; May 26, 1895 – October 11, 1965) was an American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA). Use our online form to ask a librarian for help. David Hodge January 2015. Age thirty-two. 23 years later, Lange wrote of the encounter with Thompson:[10]. Sally Stein, ‘Passing Likeness: Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother” and the Paradox of Iconicity’, in Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions of the American Self, exhibition catalogue, International Centre of Photography, New York 2004, pp.345–55, reproduced p.344. "Florence Thompson, 'Migrant Mother,' Dies". The photograph popularly known as “Migrant Mother” has become an icon of the Great Depression. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions. Dorothea Lange's famous 'Migrant Mother' Depression photograph, taken in Nipomo, and others collect almost $300,000 at auction. Dorothea Lange's famous "Migrant Mother" photograph. Dorothea Lange. I did not ask her name or her history. This is a picture of a 32 year old lady known as Florence Owen Thompson and her three children. Exhausted after a long road-trip, she did not speak extensively to the migrant woman, or Thompson herself, and may not have recorded any notes. As a whole, the photographs taken for the Resettlement Administration "have been widely heralded as the epitome of documentary photography." By Lennard Davis. Program information: http://www.c-span.org/History/Events/American-Artifacts-1930s-40s-Color-Photographs/10737436052/ Lange took seven photos that day, the last being the famous Migrant Mother. Out of the thousands of images she made, why does this have such universal appeal? Considering its impact, it is ironic that Migrant Mother is not typical of Lange’s usual practice. The images were made using a Graflex camera. Destitute in a pea pickers camp because of the failure of the early pea crop. Things to consider: Why is the image in black and white? MARCH 4, 2020. Nipomo, California", "A true picture of hard times. I don't believe Dorothea Lange was lying, I just think she had one story mixed up with another. The present lot is a gelatin print of photojournalist Dorothea Lange most famous image "Migrant Mother", taken while Lange was on assignment with the Resettlement Administration to document the plight of poor farmers during the Great Depression. However, the picture did help make Lange a celebrity and earned her "respect from her colleagues. Finally, in 1978, a reporter from the Modesto Bee found the Migrant Mother, tracking her down to a trailer park outside Modesto, California. Dorothea Lange Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California March 1936 Not on view For many, Lange’s Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California is the single most recognizable image from the Great Depression, epitomizing the desperate circumstances many found themselves in during that period. [15], In the late 1960s, Bill Hendrie found the original Migrant Mother photograph along with 31 other unretouched, vintage photos by Dorothea Lange in a dumpster at the San Jose Chamber of Commerce. Well after World War II, Thompson met and married hospital administrator George Thompson. February [sic: March] 1936. Mother of seven children. Or she was borrowing to fill in what she didn't have. Migrant Mother: Dorothea Lange and the Truth of Photography. Gelatin silver print, 11 1/8 x 8 9/16" (28.3 x 21.8 cm) See this work in MoMA’s Online Collection. Cette image, captée avec cinq autres clichés en février 1936, représentant Florence Owens Thompson et ses enfants, est devenue le symbole de la Grande Dépression aux États-Unis. To me, it was the picture ... . Commissioned to document the impact of federal programs intended to improve rural communities, she was sent to locations across the country. [3] A notice had been sent out for pickers, but the crops had been destroyed by freezing rain, leaving them without work or pay. [16] After the death of Hendrie and his wife, their daughter, Marian Tankersley, rediscovered the photos while emptying her parents' San Jose home. [16] In October 2005, an anonymous buyer paid $296,000 at Sotheby's for the 32 rediscovered Lange photos—nearly six times their pre-bid estimate. Dorothea Lange. "[24], In a 2008 interview with CNN, Thompson's daughter Katherine McIntosh recalled how her mother was a "very strong lady", and "the backbone of our family". She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. In many ways, Migrant Mother is not typical of Lange's careful method of interacting with her subject. There's no way we sold our tires, because we didn't have any to sell. The Library of Congress titled the image: "Destitute pea pickers in California. Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" Photographs in the Farm Security Administration Collection, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information collection overview, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information black-and-white negatives rights statement. Of the photographs that came out of the Great Depression, few had as immediate or timeless impact as the one colloquially called Migrant Mother. It is not possible to determine on the basis of the negative numbers (which were assigned later at the Resettlement Administration) the order in which the photographs were taken. The photograph that has become known as "Migrant Mother" is one of a series of photographs that Dorothea Lange made of Florence Owens Thompson and her children in March of 1936 in Nipomo, California. (From: Lange's "The Assignment I'll Never Forget: Migrant Mother," Popular Photography, Feb. 1960). Follow the link to read the collection rights statement. She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food. According to Thompson, Lange promised the photos would never be published. I tended bar. Migrant Mother Series of Images Note: Two images showing the mother and children in the tent, taken at a medium range and from an angle, apparently were never received by the Library of Congress. The following are the six other photos: Collection of the Oakland Museum of California, Farm Security Administration–Office of War Information Photograph Collection, Library of Congress, Native-American farm worker, subject of Dorothea Lange's famous photo Migrant Mother. She said: "I worked in hospitals. Nipomo, California." "[13], While the image was being prepared for exhibit in 1938,[14] the negative of the photo was retouched to remove Florence's thumb from the lower-right corner of the image. Her best-known image is Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California (1936). Age thirty-two. Need assistance? Dorothea Lange captured suffering of itinerant workers near Nipomo. "[3] As Lange was funded by the federal government when she took the picture, the image was public domain, and Lange was not entitled to royalties. (35.24 x 27.94 cm) (mount) Type: Photograph Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, Nipomo California, 1936, printed later, gelatin silver print, 35.24 x 27.78 cm (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, PG.1997.2). In 1978, acting on a tip, Modesto Bee reporter Emmett Corrigan located Thompson at her mobile home in Space 24 of the Modesto Mobile Village and recognized her from the 42-year-old photograph. 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