"Destitute Pea Pickers in California"
ca. 2/1936
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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, April 25, 2025]Activities that use this document
- The Impact of the Great Depression: Photograph Analysis
Created by the National Archives Education Team
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