The Other Pictures of Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother

26/10 02:30 - The Other Pictures of Dorothea Lange's Migrant Mother
In 1936, photographer Dorothea Lange took pictures at a pea pickers camp Nipomo, California, for a federal government agency. One of the images, a closeup of Florence Owens Thompson later dubbed Migrant Mother, illustrated Great Depression desperation as it was published and republished ever since and became a staple of history textbooks. Thompson was stranded at the camp with her husband and seven children after their car broke down. Lange never asked her name, and no one knew who she was for almost 40 years after the photo session. Neither she nor Lange made any money from the classic image. Thompson was not proud of her role as the face of depression-era poverty. It was the lowest time of her life, and that's how the world remembers her. Thompson's children felt differently, as the photo spurred government action to help migrant workers. And it wasn't the only picture taken of the family that day. See more photos from the roll of film that gave us Migrant Mother, and read how Thompson's family leveraged her fame late in life, at Vintage Everyday. -via Nag on the Lake Learn more about the life of Florence Thompson in a previous video. ...