Migrant Mother Analysis

American photographer, Dorothea Lange is best known for her work depicting the destitute life of Depression Era people. Her photo entitled, Migrant Mother (see image 1 in the appendix), is considered by many to be the most recognized photograph in American history. Dorothea Lange, however, is much more than that one photo. The images throughout her career tell countless stories of people who have suffered. The desire to share these stories is what propelled her to photograph, fueled her creativity, and motivated her to make the world a better place for her subjects. It was Dorothea’s own struggles as a child, wife, and a mother, her intrinsic talent to connect with others, and her ability to quietly observe, listen, and learn from people
Dorothea had a different idea. She told her mother she wanted to be a photographer (even though she never owned a camera or took a single photograph) but her mother insisted on it so she would have “something to fall back on”. Dorothea reluctantly enrolled in the New York Training School for Teachers but pursued her dream to become a photographer while going to school. She approached Arnold Genthe a successful portrait photographer who owned a studio on Fifth Avenue. He hired her on the spot, despite her inexperience in photography. She started out as a receptionist but Arnold trained her on how to make proofs, set up lighting, retouch, and mount photos. She worked for him every day after school and met very wealthy people and celebrities in his upscale studio. Dorothea learned how to interact and cater to these privileged
She said, “I invented my own photographing schooling as I went along, stumbling into most of it.” During this time she left teacher training school as she found it unbearable. At the age of twenty-two she was determined to make it on her own and start her own photography studio. She persuaded a friend to travel the world with her but all of their money was stolen on their first day in San Francisco. To make ends meet, Dorothea obtained a job at the photofinishing counter of Marsh’s department store. San Francisco ended up being a perfect landing spot for Dorothea. It was a progressive, free-spirited city with a thriving art scene. Dorothea fit right in with the Bohemian artists and quickly became friends with Roi Partridge, Imogen Cunningham, and others. She was offered a three thousand dollar loan to start her own studio and opened a portrait photography business shortly