Interpreting Pictures
Focusing on Details: Discussion Topic
All documents and text associated with this activity are printed below, followed by a worksheet for student responses.Introduction
The Great Depression was a time in US history in which many families lost their jobs, homes, and livelihood. Everything they valued was gone, or was traded in order to provide food and clothing for their families survival. It began with the stock market crash in 1929, also known as Black Tuesday. While that was not the only factor that influenced the Great Depression it did hold great significance. Families became very desperate during these hard times in history, but many survived. The following picture will present a "Migrant Mother" who survived the Great Depression, because failure was not an option.Name:
Class:
Class:
Worksheet
Interpreting Pictures
Focusing on Details: Discussion Topic
Examine the documents included in this activity and write your response in the space provided.
Why was this photgraph taken? Why would a photographer choose to depict this woman and her three children during the Great Depression? What can we infer about this woman? Also, what may the photographer not have presented in this photograph and why? Also, what can be inferred about the time period? Look at the woman's face and explain what she may be feeling.
Your Response
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Activity Element
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Conclusion
Interpreting Pictures
Focusing on Details: Discussion Topic
After reviewing the picture disucss: Why you think this picture was taken? Why has this picture become so famous? What does it present about the time period? Make sure to provide detailed evidence to support your answers.Your Response
Document
Farm Security Administration: Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children
ca. 2/1936
The original caption for this iconic photograph reads: "Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children. Age thirty-two. Nipomo, California." It was taken by photographer Dorothea Lange during the Great Depression, and is also known as "Migrant Mother."
Throughout the 1920s, Lange worked as a studio portrait photographer in San Francisco. However, by the height of the Great Depression, she turned her focus towards documenting people and her surroundings. Between 1935 and 1945, Lange worked for several Federal agencies, most notably the Farm Security Administration (FSA) and the War Relocation Authority (WRA). She took this famous photograph while on assignment with the Farm Security Administration (previously known as the Resettlement Agency). After WWII, Lange pursued freelance photography and worked for Life as a staff photographer.
Throughout the 1920s, Lange worked as a studio portrait photographer in San Francisco. However, by the height of the Great Depression, she turned her focus towards documenting people and her surroundings. Between 1935 and 1945, Lange worked for several Federal agencies, most notably the Farm Security Administration (FSA) and the War Relocation Authority (WRA). She took this famous photograph while on assignment with the Farm Security Administration (previously known as the Resettlement Agency). After WWII, Lange pursued freelance photography and worked for Life as a staff photographer.
This primary source comes from the Collection FDR-PHOCO: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library Public Domain Photographs.
National Archives Identifier: 196261
Full Citation: Photograph PHOCO-A-65593(65); Farm Security Administration: Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children; ca. 2/1936; Franklin D. Roosevelt Library Public Domain Photographs, 1882 - 1962; Collection FDR-PHOCO: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library Public Domain Photographs, ; Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/farm-security-administration-destitute-pea-pickers-in-california-mother-of-seven-children, May 1, 2024]Farm Security Administration: Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children
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