What is Dorothea Lange’s mission?

Dorothea Lange is a renowned American photographer whose primary mission was to capture and document the social realities of her time, in particular the devastating effects of the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Working for the Farm Security Administration (FSA), a government agency created to combat rural poverty in the United States, Lange traveled the country photographing those most affected by the economic crisis.

Her work aimed to reveal the living conditions of marginalized Americans, particularly poor farmers, migrant workers and dispossessed families. Through her photographs, Lange aimed not only to raise public awareness of the plight of those affected by the Depression, but also to encourage the government to take action to improve their situation.

One of her most famous works, Migrant Mother (1936), has become an icon of the period. This portrait of a poor mother holding her children symbolizes the resilience and distress of American families during the Great Depression.

This photograph, like many others by Lange, had a profound impact on public perception of the crisis and helped shape the social policies of the time.

Dorothea Lange was not only an artist, but also an activist whose work played a key role in documenting the struggles of the most vulnerable, giving a human face to economic statistics.

Her mission went far beyond simple photography: she sought to bring about social change through the power of images, denouncing injustice and giving a voice to those who were often ignored.

Her legacy remains a powerful testament to the importance of documentary photography in social and political history.

You may also be interested in

• Who founded Magnum Photos?
• Who is Henri Cartier-Bresson?
• What made Ansel Adams famous?