Monday, February 20, 2012

Women In Photography

Photography Post # 4
Alysha Reed


Dorothea Lange is the most prominent, well-known woman in the history of photography. Lange received an education for photography at Colombia University and took her career to San Francisco where she ran a successful studio. The start of The Great Depression opened a door for Lange’s career to take a huge turn. She began to turn her focus to the streets as opposed to her studio. One of her most powerful pieces, “Migrant Mother", was captured during the Great Depression. Her photo, “Migrant Mother”, is evidence that photos can get powerful messages across to the audience. By simply looking at the photo, the viewer can feel the disparity and pain of the woman and children depicted. There is no need for a caption explaining what the middle-aged woman and her children had been experiencing at the time. Without the details explained, Lange’s photograph taps into the audience’s ethos and sends a powerful message.


Despite being a woman, Dorothea Lange was able to take her talents and make a name for herself not only within her era, but enough to become a historical figure.

Works Cited

Vaughn, Stephen L. Encyclopedia of American Journalism. 254. 2008. 17 Feb. 2012.

Jersey, Bill, Nancy Hale, Elizabeth Partridge, and Meg Partridge. “Dorothea Lange: A Visual Life.” The Journal of American History. 82 (1995). http://www.jstor.org/stable/2945291. 17 Feb. 2012.



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