This book charts the life of Dorothea Lange (1895-1965), whose life was radically altered by the Depression, and whose photography helped transform the nation. It begins with her childhood in immigrant, metropolitan New York, shifting to her young adulthood as a New Woman who apprenticed herself to Manhattan's top photographers, then established a career as portraitist to San Francisco's elite. When the Great Depression shook America's economy, Lange was profoundly affected. Leaving her studio, Lange confronted citizens' anguish with her camera, documenting their economic and social plight. This move propelled her to international renown. This biography synthesizes recent New Deal scholarship and photographic history and probes the unique regional histories of the Pacific West, the Plains, and the South. Lange's life illuminates critical transformations in the U.S., specifically women's evolving social roles and the state's growing capacity to support vulnerable citizens. The author utilizes the concept of "care work," the devalued nurturing of others, often considered women's work, to analyze Lange's photography and reassert its power to provoke social change. Lange's portrayal of the Depression's ravages is enmeshed in a deeply political project still debated today, of the nature of governmental responsibility toward citizens' basic needs. Students and the general reader will find this a powerful and insightful introduction to Dorothea Lange, her work, and legacy. The book makes a compelling case for the continuing political and social significance of Lange's work, as she recorded persistent injustices such as poverty, labor exploitation, racism, and environmental degradation.
Dorothea Lange and turn-of-the-century America, 1895-1912 -- "I knew it was dangerous to have something to fall back on" : finding the new woman, finding herself, 1912-1918 -- Love and work : tangled negotiations, 1918-1929 -- "To grab a hunk of lightning" : a radical change of focus, 1929-1934 -- Words would not be enough, 1934-1935 -- "These things are a pressin' on us" : Dorothea Lange as government photographer -- The sorriest place in this country : Dorothea Lange and southern struggles, 1935-1939 -- "Moving about people" and the Great Plains Blues, 1935-1940 -- "In the ditches at the end of beauty" : California in the depression -- "Woman can change better'n a man" : women in the Great Depression -- "This is what we did, how did it happen, how could we" : democracy under assault -- Conclusion: "the last ditch" : Dorothea Lange and the persistence of vision, 1945-1965 -- Primary documents: reading photography in the archives -- Study questions -- Bibliography -- Index.