Case Study: Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange

Migrant Mother

By Dorothea Lange 

Possibly one of the most recognisable pieces of photojournalistic practice, but also the story behind its production is one of tragedy; not from the portrayal of poverty and famine but of the fraud and debated authenticity that resulted in the eclipse of a genuinely impoverished woman receiving not recognition until after the fact whilst the person who fabricated the image became widely renowned. 

Introduction

The story of ‘Migrant Mother’ is one of both reality and deception. The photograph itself, although of a real person, in real, dire circumstances, was fabricated by Dorothea Lange and the composition and orchestration was one with a recognition-centred agenda. Regarded as one of the most iconic photographs of American history, published in the 1930s, this bereaved, destitute woman, Florence Owens Thompson, with her two impoverished infants, was iconic during the Great Depression. In this case study, the impact of not only this photograph on the world but on the individuals of the photographer and the subject themselves will be explored.

The Photographic Impact

In March 1936, a San Francisco newspaper ran a story that featured Lange’s photograph that came to be known as ‘Migrant Mother’. Published during the Great Depression, ‘Migrant Mother’ became a symbol, an emblem, of the destitution, hunger, and bleakness of America bore during this period.

Shot by Lange, in a migrant farm-worker camp in Nipomo California, this image was part of a series of work generated for use by the Farm Security Administration (FSA). This was all to expose this struggle to the American people for them to sympathise for these less-fortunate migrant workers who had been displaced amongst the financial, social, and political turmoil that the Great Depression wrought on their country (Pruitt, 2020). It aimed to publicise the plight of migrant workers and the low paid during the depression. Whether the motive was for political ends or to increase understanding of the situation is unclear but many can make subjective assumptions.

When capturing the image, Lange did not ask for any of the woman’s background or how she had ended up in this position, she saw a photo-opportunity and staged it (Library of Congress, 2019). Following the publication of the ‘Migrant Mother’ image in the San Francisco News, many resources and bountiful amounts of food were sent to this camp in California for the impoverished migrant farm workers to survive on. At this point, despite having her portrait displayed everywhere almost like a propaganda campaign, the ‘Migrant Mother’ herself, Florence Owens Thompson, and her family had travelled on (Pruitt, 2020). At this point in time though, her identity was still a mystery. She was not even a beneficiary.

Although still a strong image depicting the struggle and suffering that these poor migrant workers were enduring, the composition of the subject, Thompson and her children, was formally intentional. The way in which Thompson is holding her children in such a close embrace with them hiding their faces away in despair with her stoic, brazen countenance soldiering on echoes a similarity with classic imagery that display the Christ child being embraced and protected by the Virgin Mary (Gottschalk, 2018). The photograph is a stylised fabrication by Lange, a cleverly orchestrated pose with the mother stoically protecting her exhausted children with utter despair and fatigue. It has a Madonna-like quality but worth none of the serenity. (Gottschalk, 2018).

Subsequently it was revealed that Lange had not sought ethical consent or even personal information to justify use of the image. It was also reported that Thompson felt used and exploited by Lange (Pruitt, 2020), almost in a bid at fame for a ground-breaking photograph that shaped the American perspective of migrant workers. There was no ethical consent given at any point. In Lange’s report about the photograph, she claimed that this poor family “had been living on frozen vegetables from the field and wild birds the children caught. The pea crop had frozen; there was no work. Yet they could not move on, for she had just sold the tires from the car to buy food.” (MoMA, n.d.) Conversely, in later years, Thompson opposed this statement by claiming that by her account, as well as her children’s, that Lange shared no conversation with her about such matters, and that she never even sold her tires; Lange either confused them for a different family or just exaggerated the details for better story (MoMA, n.d.). Although the photograph and the story were fake news, they aroused public sympathy as intended. Food and resources poured into the migrant camp, whose residents benefitted. Ironically, the Thompson family, used as propaganda, had moved on. 

Dorothea Lange – The Photographer

Lange was a successful photographer with a studio in San Francisco in 1919 (MoMA, n.d.) but after being emotionally affected by the destitute people, she grew to move more out of the studio environment and into the world. Lange became a pioneer of documentary photography; a genre title that she personally felt did not correctly describe her motivation being the creation of her work (MoMA, n.d.).

Lange was known to have said “Bad as it is, the world is potentially full of good photographs. But to be good, photographs have to be full of the world.” (Dupêcher, 2018) Demonstrating her dedication and commitment to her craft that really motivated her to convey powerful messages. Although, from sources previously mentioned, she may have been known to exaggerate or formulate further into her imagery, it exhibits a drive for spreading that social justice and awareness that she thrived from in her work. Perhaps it was this social conscience that drove her to fabricate pictures like ‘Migrant Mother’ and justify it ethically. ‘Migrant Mother’ is arguably Lange’s most famous image, and this established her as a strong, successful documentary photographer, so much so that she was recruited as a wartime photographer in 1942 to document America’s occupation of Japan in the second World War (Dupêcher, 2018).

Throughout her career, Lange continued to capture emotive and visually powerful imagery that aided in her mission for social awareness.

Florence Owens Thompson – The Real ‘Migrant Mother’

After featuring in the San Francisco News in 1936, without her consent, Thompson became an icon for migrant workers from the Great Depression in America. Years went by before she was made aware of this fame she had accumulated as an emblem for the less fortunate. Thompson and her family moved from settlement to settlement before they established themselves in Modesto, California.

Thompson wrote to another newspaper in Modesto, California to expose the truth behind why the picture was taken, the conversations leading up to it (or more lack thereof) and how she and her family felt about their likeness being used (Pruitt, 2020).  After these revelations, Thompson soon after fell victim to her depleting health and died in September 1983, aged 80. Her children asked for support and over $35,000 in donations were raised to make her last months of life more comfortable (Pruitt, 2020). It was reported that President Ronald Reagan, President of the United States at the time, offered his commiserations and stated that “Mrs. Thompson's passing represents the loss of an American who symbolizes strength and determination in the midst of the Great Depression.” (Pruitt, 2020).  Is it not fascinating that a woman who once “survived from frozen foods” on the side of the road would then be honoured by a world leader in her final hour?

Summary

Before conducting this case study, not being aware of much to do with ‘Migrant Mother’, it was recognised instantly which is a testament of itself as to how prolific this photograph is. It is close to 90 years old and is still recognised by modern audiences. Knowing it was representative of the Great Depression in America; a time that Americans would soon rather forget as it was a time of great hardship. ‘Migrant Mother’ is a constant reminder of that harrowing, cruel time in American history. Knowing more of the background of this image aids a viewer into realising that although it holds great truth, there were also elements of the story and the image itself that were exaggerated so what can we really trust in photojournalism? How much of it is really what is being published? This is a classic example of superb skill being used for publicity. Unfortunately, it is also a fabrication of the facts.