“Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children. Age thirty-two. Nipomo, California” (Leon)

“Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children. Age thirty-two. Nipomo, California”

You can see a woman with 2 kids (possibly her kids) barrowing into/behind her body. Everyone in the picture looks extremely malnourished and poverty/disaster stricken. Their skin looks dirty, along with their skin in general. Wrinkly and lacking moisture. On the lady’s lap, there is also a little toddler or baby laying down sleeping (or even possibly dead). The first two things I notice are the lady’s expression on her face. She seems beside herself. Not exactly a look of distress or sadness, but more like a look of, “why is like this way?” One can only imagine the expression of the faces of the children. The other thing I noticed would be the greyscale tone for the picture. It definitely sets the tone of the photo. This scheme does more than just take out the color. It affects the mood of the entire photo. Sets the tone and almost evokes specific emotions of sadness or despair from the observer. There isn’t really anything in the sense of objects. There looks to be maybe a blanket or some sort of cloth around the baby, but that very may well be her clothes. Aside from the clothing of each individual, there really isn’t anything in the line of concrete objects. Due to the greyscale, you can’t tell accurately what time of day it is in the picture. I would toss my assumption out there and say it’s probably midday. Nothing else in the picture can give away anything about the physical setting. The biggest details that can be examined are physical ones on the bodies of the woman and the children. In the case of the woman, you can see a lot of wrinkles along her forehead (vertically and diagonally. Her skin also looks rubbery and dry; not very healthy. You can’t really see anything on the children’s faces. On the toddler’s face you can see what looks like dirt or some form of residue around her cheeks. I actually did not notice the baby on the lady’s lap upon first glance. Due to seeing this picture before, I was already aware of the focal points, also my eyes were drawn into the expression of the lady’s face and the children turning away, it took a full examination of the picture to even notice the baby. The “lighting” of the greyscale sets the tone throughout the picture. It’s the only true since of lighting or any other detail you can get from the picture. So, the lighting does a lot for the overall effect of the photograph on the reader. The photographer would have to more than likely be at the same level as the individuals in the photo. The vantage point of the photo helps because it’s fairly close up and extremely clear. Allows the possibility of up close and detailed examination of the photo. The overall mood is somber. Lacking hope. Almost apathetic, in a sense. This imagine gives a specific concrete example of the hardships of this time period and puts it into perspective. In a nutshell, I believe this photo could be an overarching introduction into the society of the 1930’s

Relief checks in Calipatria, CA

     Upon first glance of this photo, I would of never guessed it was from the Great Depression. When I think of the Great Depression, I think of despair and poverty due to the economic downfall the U.S. experienced. However, the people depicted in this image appear to be in favorable circumstances. The civilians are nicely dressed compared to those who live in refugee camps and near irrigation ditches. The gathering appears to be held at a few small shops such as the Bakery and Johnson's. In this image, these civilians are waiting to receive relief checks, which helped people buy necessities during the Great Depression.
     Dorothea Lange captures the essence of the civilians trying to maintain a way to pay for necessities for their families. As they are gathered waiting, any person examining this image can see the severity of the Great Depression because this is one of many areas that offered relief checks and in this image alone there are around 30 or more people. This image does not depict a negative mood or emotion, the reason for that is when examining this image, the groups of people are talking among themselves, smiling, generating a positive mood. Had the background information of this photo been unknown, it would be hard to determine what exactly is happening in this image. The setting takes place at a couple stores, people gathered outside, that doesn't necessarily explain the image.
     The other reason this image is more positive than negative is the fact that during the Great Depression, relief checks were helpful to these civilians, and this image depicts one of the positive attributes of the Great Depression rather than the hardships and migrant workers struggling for pay and a place to live. Based on my observations of this image, Dorothea Lange wanted to show that even in a time of despair and tragedy, people could still come together and socialize and find something positive during a time like the Great Depression.

- Hayley Hedden

"Migrant Mother" blog 1 by Alaina Mills

In this photo “Migrant Mother” by Dorothea Lange the first thing I notice is her expression and the two young children clinging to her. I later notice the baby in her lap after studying the photograph more closely. I was very surprised to see in the description of the photograph that the women was only 32 years old. Her face looks so tired, I assume that stress and worry and lack of money needed for clothes, (her sleeves look ragged on the ends like they have been torn) food, and maybe even shelter, (I cannot really tell but it appears that they are outside), has aged her looks. And the coloring of the photograph is rather depressing, I feel if it were in color it would not portray the dark burdened mood as well as the black and white does.

Going back to the women’s expression, I thought of many reasons behind her expression. It could be that one she was wondering how in the world she was going to find the money and food to feed 7 children and herself enough to keep them strong and healthy. Or since there is only 3 children pictured, maybe the other 4 were off to find food for the family and she is worried that they will be safe. Or maybe she isn’t worried at all. Or she is waiting for her husband and she is worried about his safety. I can also see determination in her face. She could have a more optimistic view on life and is determined to keep her children fed, warm, and safe. If this was to be the case, it is very inspiring to see that even in the hardest of times she isn’t giving up.

Based on this photo and my assumptions, I gather that the 1930’s was a time of economic despair. The times were hard and the only thing people were trying to do was to make it with the little money they had. This photo, even though not a very happy picture, it is a great photograph.

 

-Alaina Mills