Dorothea Lange

Photo by Unknown
Image Source: https://www.biography.com/artist/dorothea-lange

Dorothea Lange was a very well-known and important female photojournalist. She was born on May 26, 1895 in Hoboken, New Jersey. She had a difficult childhood, as she was diagnosed with polio at age 7. She was left noticeably weakened by the disease, and suffered complications all throughout her life. Just before her teen years, her father divorced her mother and abandoned their family. Many events negatively impacted Lange's early years, however, they pushed her to become the inspiration she was as a photojournalist. She went on to graduate from Wadleigh High School for Girls in New York City and continued her education in photography at Columbia University. In 1918, she travelled to San Fransisco, California, along with a female friend, to continue her career in photography.

Dorothea Lange’s most popular photographs were taken while she was working for the California and Federal Resettlement Administration, which is now known as the Farm Security Administration. She worked as a documentary photographer, and her photographs taken during the Great Depression became very well-known. Lange was initially employed by the California and Federal Resettlement Administration to record the Dust Bowl exodus when drought and hard times forced thousands of farm families to move west in search of work. During this assignment, her most popular photograph called “Migrant Mother” had been taken in Nipoma, California. Lange’s photograph of the mother and two children became so well-known because of its impact on society. The image truly shows the struggles that families were dealing with during the Depression. The expression on the mother’s face brings about feelings of sadness and despair. This caused the photo to become so well-known to the public; it brought awareness to those who were struggling to survive during the Great Depression.

Photo By: Dorothea Lange
Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Owens_Thompson

This is Dorothea Lange's famous photograph, "Migrant Mother." The obvious main subject of the photo is the mother, since she takes up at least half of the image. She does not look overly posed, and her expression shows feelings of sadness and hopelessness. The background of the two boys leaning on her compliment the photograph as well, definitely making the image more emotional. The black and white color of the photograph also helps set the mood of the image. All of these principles made this photo so popular because it truly speaks for the time period in which this image was taken. Many people were homeless, starving, and struggling to survive.

After working for the California and Federal Resettlement Administration, Dorothea Lange worked for the Office of War Administration and the War Relocation Authority starting in 1942. She was hired to document the internment of Japenese-Americans during the Second World War. For this assignment, she photographed the Japanese-American prisoners. She faced many challenges photographing these subjects because she strongly disagreed with the internment of Japanese-Americans. Once again, Lange took this as an opportunity to spread a message to the world about the problems happening in her country. However, the government ended up censoring many of the images she took in the Japanese-American internment camps.

Photo By: Dorothea Lange
Image Source: https://www.highfaluter.com/dorothea-langes-censored-photos-from-the-u-s-japanese-internment-camps-remind-us-of-an-american-atrocity/

This was one of the photographs taken by Dorothea Lange during the Japanese-American Internment of World War II. This image uses the rule of thirds because the people in line are pictured all the way to the right, and the background fades into the left side. This method guides the viewer's eye through the image. However, the lighting of the photograph is not very bold or dramatic, it is seemingly very dull and flat. The image itself also brings about negative emotions, since it is very similar to a photo one would see of the Holocaust. This photograph may remind viewers of those other horrific internment camps in history, which makes the image much more powerful.

Dorothea Lange worked in the 1920s and 1930s during the Great Depression, which is the time period she had taken her most powerful and well-known photographs. Lange also worked in the 1940s, during the Second World War, where she had photographed the internment of Japanese-Americans. During her time as a photojournalist, female photojournalists were not as well-respected as male photojournalists. A woman photojournalist would not receive the same credit as a male photojournalist, and women had to work much harder to be recognized by the public. Photojournalism was most definitely a profession dominated by men during her time as a photojournalist.

Lange was a highly motivated photojournalist. She had faced many challenges in her lifetime, which began during her childhood years. At just 7 years old, Lange contracted polio, which left her right leg and foot noticeably weakened. Later, however, she felt almost appreciative of the effects the illness had on her life. “It was the most important thing that happened to me, and formed me, guided me, instructed me, helped me and humiliated me,” she said. Just before her teen years, Lange’s parents had divorced, which also had a negative impact on her early life. Due to all of the struggles she went through in her early years, she truly understood the meaning of suffering and felt as if it was her calling to be the voice for those who were struggling. Her childhood experiences had motivated her later on in life to be a photojournalist and help bring change to the world. She believed passionately that those who were pushed to the margins, whose existence had no color, needed to be heard, as well as seen. Dorothea Lange was driven to raise awareness for those who needed a voice.

Photo By: Dorothea Lange
Image Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/503769908308470035/?lp=true

This is another photograph of a mother during the Great Depression taken by Dorothea Lange. The rough texture of this photograph speaks for the time period in which it was taken, in the 1930s. This is also a simple but meaningful photograph of a mother and child, there is no distracting backgrounds and the image is well-focused on the two main subjects. The image is also contrast-appropriate, and the viewer is able to clearly see the dirt covering the child's face and their shelter. All of these principles add drama to the photograph and make it much more meaningful. 

The type of photographic equipment that Dorothea Lange used was a Graflex camera with a film size of 4x5. This camera was a popular press and sports camera; it was used by most of the photojournalists in the first half of the 20th century. It allowed for the photographer to take photographs without the subject becoming blurry if in motion. Lange used this camera to photograph the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, as well as the Japanese-American internment camps during World War II.

Dorothea Lange faced many ethical dilemmas as a photojournalist during her time. She had faced many challenges while photographing several sensitive historical events. In fact, Lange had photographed people during the worst times in our history. The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl were very difficult times that many people struggled through in the United States. It was very difficult for Lange to photograph people suffering during the Depression. Most of these people she had photographed were homeless and starving. However, she wanted to help by photographing them and sharing their stories with the public. Lange had also photographed the internment of the Japanese-Americans during the Second World War, which had made her extremely uncomfortable. She did not agree with this situation at all, and again, she wanted to make a change. Overall, it is not simple to photograph struggling people. It is very uncomfortable for both the photojournalist and the subject.

While photographing the Japanese-American internment camps during World War II, Lange was highly against what the government was doing to the Japanese-American people and thought it was absolutely inhumane. This caused some bias to be present in her photographs. Since Lange did not agree with the internment of Japanese-Americans, her photographs of them made the situation look a lot worse in an attempt to disgust the public and make them do something about the issue. However, the government censored many of her photographs most likely because they did not want the public to know what was going on inside of these internment camps. Therefore, the photographs she had taken at the internment camps would most likely not speak the truth. 

Photo By: Dorothea Lange
Image Source: https://mymodernmet.com/dorothea-lange-japanese-internment-camps/

This photograph was taken in a Japanese-American internment camp, also by Dorothea Lange. The use of lines is very noticeable in this image. All of the people photographed are in straight lines that go all across the image, which guides the viewer's eyes from left to right, then right to left. The buildings in the background are also in lines parallel to each other. The buildings in the background compliment the image as well, showing that the photograph was taken in a Japanese-American Internment camp. However, the image is slightly cluttered since so many things are being photographed at once. The quality of light in this image is also slightly dull, but it definitely speaks for the age of the photograph.

Dorothea Lange was a very important female photojournalist and her images had a major impact on society. She documented many emotional historical events and made the world much more aware of the issues happening in her country. She brought awareness to the millions of people suffering through the Great Depression who had nothing to eat and no place to live. Her most well-known photographs were taken during this time, and are still very much appreciated today. Lange had also brought attention to the Japanese-American prisoners in the internment camps and was able to give a voice to those who were unable to share their stories. She is a major inspiration to many photojournalists, especially female photojournalists.

Lange’s career as a photojournalist can be related to my major in social science at AIC. I plan to graduate from AIC, and further my education to become a social worker. I greatly appreciate all of Lange’s work because I am passionate about making a change in the world as well. Just like Dorothea Lange, I want to be a voice for those who cannot be heard. I have experienced many struggles in my life, and I can relate to the struggles that other people have. I want to do everything in my power to help other people through their problems.

Many people viewed Dorothea Lange as an inspiration for photojournalists around the world. Although she was a female photojournalist, she did whatever it took to be sure that she was recognized. She strived to be the voice for those who were struggling and made sure that their stories were heard by the public. Her images also serve as icons for photojournalism. For example, her photo “Migrant Mother” is one of the photos people most commonly think of when they hear the word “photojournalism.” Dorothea Lange, as well as her photographs, will forever be viewed as icons of photojournalism.

Obituary/Tribute Created By: Haley Pollo