Portraits of Migrants:

the 1930s as told by Dorothea Lange

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48075/z431xh93

Abstract

Dorothea Lange photographed migrants in California affected by the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. She did this while employed by the Farm Security Administration (FSA) between 1934 and 1943. Her most famous photograph became an icon of the Great Depression and became known as Migrant Mother. In this article, we discuss the impacts of this crisis on migrant families and Dorothea's work at the FSA, exploring (i) the process of farmers’ impoverishment, (ii) the story told by Lange’s photographs, particularly that of Florence Thompson, the “migrant mother”, and (iii) the predominance of themes of family and motherhood in the photographs.

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Published

14-09-2026

How to Cite

BOSI, Antonio. Portraits of Migrants:: the 1930s as told by Dorothea Lange. Espaço Plural, [S. l.], v. 22, n. 44, p. 21–51, 2026. DOI: 10.48075/z431xh93. Disponível em: https://e-revista.unioeste.br/index.php/espacoplural/article/view/37107. Acesso em: 17 oct. 2026.