Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression

Dorothea Lange was always drawn to photography, but it wasn’t until the Great Depression that she became inspired to tell human stories through her camera. Weatherford (Freedom in Congo Square) writes eloquently of Lange’s creative drive and compassion: “Dorothea hit the road to show America to Americans. What others neglected or ignored, she noticed and preserved on film.” Working in a thick, mossy style and a creamy color palette, newcomer Green shows Lange photographing impoverished Americans, including homeless men on Skid Row and Florence Owens Thompson, the subject of her famous image, Migrant Mother. Weatherford emphasizes how Lange was not only an artist driven to make art but an activist whose images generated awareness of suffering and injustice. Ages 4–8. [em]Author’s agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Feb.) [/em]