Analysis of Migrant Mother by Dorthea Lange
The Face of The Great Depression of the 1930s Migrant Mother by Dorthea Lange Analysis
Dorthea Lange was hired as a photographer through the Resettlement Administration (Part of FDR’s New Deal “Alphabet Soup” programs) to travel through America and chronicle the Great Depression in small towns, bit cities, among rich and poor alike. This shot of Florence Christi outside of a pea-picking camp in central California awaiting the return of her husband and two sons with repaired car parts, encapsulated all the despair and anguish of the “Dirty Thirties.”
This iconic photograph was published by then Time-Life magazine, sold millions of copies, and made Ms. Lange famous among her journalist colleagues. Ms. Christi however received no such reward or compensation.
Shortly after this photograph was taken, Florence and her family migrated to southern California and continued life as migrant workers, as was the case for the 1+ million Americans and tens of thousands of immigrants who roamed the country looking for work, food, and shelter during this desperate time in American history.
In the 1970s, Ms. Christi was located and identified as the woman in the iconic Migrant Mother photograph, and although she received acclaim and was as able to tell her story of survival so similar to countess others, she never profited from publication and the republication of her photograph.
Florence died in her eighties of cancer and heart complications, surrounded by her family, in a home that her seven children had been able to purchase for her in later life.
Read Chapter 23
When you have completed the chapter, select one of the prompts below and post a thoughtful and complete answer in your own words (absolute minimum 1 paragraph).
Migrant Mother by Dorthea Lange Summary Discussion:
- Given the complex nature and numerous causes of the Great Depression, do you think the New Deal was a sufficient weapon against it? What are some examples of things that should have been, and some things that should not have been, tried by the Roosevelt administration as part of the war on the Great Depression?
What were some major differences between the First and Second New Deal (or were there any differences at all)? Was one more effective than the other at combating the Depression? Why or why not?
3. Why did the New Deal come to an end? Was it a successful remedy for the Great Depression or did it have little impact on the economic situation in the nation?
- NO RESPONSE TO CLASSMATES REQUIRED!!
All-Class Question: Must be answered for full chapter credit.
In light of the New deal, make a statement about the ideas of freedom and equality. Can an expanded government and extensive government programs provide freedom and equality for all levels of society. Economic? Social? Cultural?