Overview
Dorothea Lange's photographs are some of the most widely recognized images in American photography. Her most famous work, "Migrant Mother," became a symbol of the Great Depression; her images of African-American tenant farmers in the South, desperate Dust Bowl families, and the Japanese-American internment of World War II are remarkable for their honesty, their empathy, and their humanity. Stricken with polio as a child, Lange channeled her feelings of "outsiderness" into her work. At a time when few women had a career of any kind, she ran a highly successful portrait studio. What's more, Lange worked ceaselessly to capture just the "right" angles of the face and the many nuances of human facial expression, so that the face of her subject seemed to come alive. Through her camera lens, Lange proved that everyday human life is a thing worth seeing, a thing worth capturing.Discusses the life and work of the twentieth century American photographer, Dorothea Lange.
Synopsis
Dorothea Lange's photographs are some of the most widely recognized images in American photography. Her most famous work, "Migrant Mother," became a symbol of the Great Depression; her images of African-American tenant farmers in the South, desperate Dust Bowl families, and the Japanese-American internment of World War II are remarkable for their honesty, their empathy, and their humanity. Stricken with polio as a child, Lange channeled her feelings of "outsiderness" into her work. At a time when few women had a career of any kind, she ran a highly successful portrait studio. What's more, Lange worked ceaselessly to capture just the "right" angles of the face and the many nuances of human facial expression, so that the face of her subject seemed to come alive. Through her camera lens, Lange proved that everyday human life is a thing worth seeing, a thing worth capturing.