Dorothea LangeDorothea Lange(1895-1965)

BiographyBiography Dorothea Lange was born in Hoboken, New Jersey on May 26, 1895. Her

maiden name was Nutzhorn.She went to Columbia University in New York City where she informally

apprenticed to a few new York photography studios., including Arnold genthe. In 1981 Dorotheha Lange moved to san Francisco, and soon after she successfully opened a portrait studio.

In 1952, Dorothea co-founded the Aperture photographic magazine. Lange and Pirkle Jones shot a photographic documentary for Life Magazine of the death of Monticello, California in the mid-1950s. The piece did not make the magazine, so Lange devoted one whole issue of Aperture to the work. The photo was later shown at the Art Institution of Chicago in 1960.

Dorothea Lange's’ photos were mostly taken of the Great Depression, and about the poverty of the time. She would take pictures of unemployed men in the street, or of migrant workers. The pictures of the workers usually had captions, most of them were quotes said by the workers themselves. Her photography had a lot of documentary, and she exposed social issues of the time.

When Dorothea Lange was seven she contracted polio, leaving her leg very pained and weak. Even though it was unpleasant, she quoted; “It was the most important thing that happened to me, and formed me, guided me, instructed me, helped me and humiliated me,” She said she was nearly appreciative of it. Her parents also influenced her creativity when she was younger since they both were very strong advocates on education. The arts and literature she was raised with influenced her to be more creative when she was older.

Dorothea Lange won the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, US& Canada award.

Migrant MotherMigrant MotherFlorence Owens Thompson She was a 32 year old women who lived in the dustbowl. She experienced extreme poverty in this time. This picture was taken March, 1936 in Nipomo, California.

The lighting in this photo is artificial because it was taken inside, but you can tell that there was sun coming in by the way the picture has so much contrast. It makes the picture look serious and almost grief-stricken. The detail is really brought out by the grayscale because you can see all of the creases and wrinkles. The lighting makes the picture look very dramatic.

The main subject is the mothers face. It was meant for you to

see her expression and see what she was feeling. Her face is the

focal point because the rule of thirds makes a point right where

her face is, and that is what you are drawn to.The lighting and contrast makes it a good photo. The

grayscale gives a lot of texture to the photo a lot.

This photo shows the grief of the mother, and the difficulties of

being in the dustbowl and surviving the depression. I picked

this photo over others because of that reason. It is one of the

most powerful photos taken, and one of Dorothea Lange's most famous.

Ditched, Ditched, StalledStalled, and Stranded, and StrandedThis picture was taken in 1936 in San Joaquin Valley California.

The lighting is natural because he is in a car, but the light is still coming through the windows. The lighting is coming through the windshield, through the front. It highlights his face and creates good contrast.

The man is the main subject because his face is the focal point. Your eyes are drawn there.

The rule of thirds contributes to that because his body lines up with a vertical line. Leading lines takes your attention to his face. The top of the window, the line on the ceiling, and the pole behind be all leads to his face.

Dorothea Lange is trying to express the fear, or melancholy of the situation. He is stranded, and his car does not work. She is showing that he is worried about many different things in this moment.

I chose this photo because it shows clearly what

everyday life was like fir people during the great

depression. That even if your car breaks, or you're

in trouble, you have to get up and deal with it.

Young Migratory MotherThis photo was taken April, 1940 Kern Country, California.

The lighting is natural because this photo was taken outside. The light is coming from the left, shadowing her right side that faces the wall.

The women is the main subject. The vertical line on the wall that she leans against is vertical with her body. Her head also lines up with the top of the building, making the photo look really pleasing. Her face is lit up by the sunlight making her face the main focal point.

The photo is of a poor women who just moved with her husband for work. The photo shows her expression to be strong. She looks like she has a strong will, that the sadness of the depression has not brought her down.

I chose this photo because she has a sense of courage of confidence in her expression. She has a very unique expression that not many people had at that time. Most peoples expressions were grief, shame, hopeless. This women looks strong.

Mother and Children on the Road

This photo was taken in Nipomo,

California in 1936.

The lighting is natural because the car is

opened up a lot. Light is coming through

windows and doors, illuminating their

faces. The light is coming from the right,

through the window. It creates a lot of

contrast and makes the picture look

dramatic.

The main subject is the mother and

children. The way they are offset, it helps

balance the photo. Also, the photo

has texture. The wood in the car, and

their clothes create a lot of texture, and

that makes the picture look beautiful.

Lange is showing how hard it was to

support the family. The kids are dirty and

the car is run down. She is expressing the

harsh circumstances of that time and how

it was difficult just to move somewhere

else.

I picked this photo because I believe that the

mothers face says it all. Her exhaustion and

pain is painted in her features, and I think the

emotions that you get just observing the

photo makes it an amazing one.

This photo was taken in 1961.

The Lighting is natural, and was taken outside

in a field. The light is coming from the right, lighting up the little girls face. It makes the left darker, and gives it contrast.

The main subject is the girl. Her face is what you are drawn to and has an intersecting point of rule of thirds, also drawing your eye. The grass around her gives a lot of texture to the photo and her sweater also contributesTo the texture.

The photo is very powerful because it showsthe importance of youth. It shows the little girl enjoying the world around her, and the photo gives you a sense of calmness or joy. The girl looks happy out in the field.

I chose this photo because it reminds me of when I was little, laying out in my grandparents field. It reminds me of when I was younger and would do those things.

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