05/27/2023
Dorothea Lange, the influential documentary photographer and photojournalist, was born on this day in 1895. Lange is most widely known for her Great Depression-era work documenting the realities of life for poor and oft-forgotten Americans, and bringing their experiences into public awareness. Her talent resulted in a Guggenheim Fellowship for excellence in photography in 1941 making her the first woman to receive the honor. Her decades of work greatly influenced generations of documentary photographers.
Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, Lange’s journey as a photographer began as a college student and then an informal apprentice in New York City. By 1918 she had moved to San Francisco and established a successful portrait studio, catering to upper class clients. However, a cultural shift changed her course and led to her lasting fame as a documentary photographer.
At the start of the Great Depression, Lange began to focus her work on the unemployed and homeless people on the streets in San Francisco. Her powerful black-and-white images led to a position with the Federal Resettlement Administration, later called the Farm Security Administration, highlighting the plights of sharecroppers, migrant workers and other members of agricultural communities. Her striking photography brought awareness and humanity to marginalized groups across the nation, including the Dust Bowl migrants of the 1930s and the Japanese-American internees during World War II.
For adults who would like to learn more about her life and legacy, we highly recommend the award-winning biography, "Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits," which also includes more than 100 of her iconic images, at https://www.amightygirl.com/dorothea-lange
She is also the subject of a fascinating historical fiction novel for adult readers: "Learning to See: A Novel of Dorothea Lange, the Woman Who Revealed the Real America" at https://www.amightygirl.com/learning-to-see
To share Dorothea Lange's inspiring story with kids, it's told in two excellent picture books: "Dorothea Lange" for ages 5 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/dorothea-lange-faces-of-depression) and "Dorothea's Eyes: Dorothea Lange Photographs the Truth," for ages 6 to 10 (https://www.amightygirl.com/dorothea-s-eyes)
There is also a picture book that tells the story of a family like the one featured in Lange's famous "Migrant Mother" photo, "Ruby's Hope," for ages 5 to 9 at https://www.amightygirl.com/ruby-s-hope
For Mighty Girl stories set during the Great Depression, we recommend "The Gardener" for ages 4 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-gardener), "Out of the Dust" for ages 9 to 13 (https://www.amightygirl.com/out-of-the-dust), "Someplace to Call Home" for 10 to 13 (https://www.amightygirl.com/someplace-to-call-home), and "Echo Mountain" for ages 10 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/echo-mountain)
