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| Migratory Mexican field worker's home on the edge of a frozen pea field, Imperial Valley, CA - Dorothea Lange (1937) |
In this photograph, taken by Dorothea Lange, a photographer famous for her ability to capture life from the Great Depression on film, a Mexican migrant is standing by his car holding a baby, in front of a run down shack/house/hut/thing. One of the first things that jumped out at me was that it is a man holding the baby. Obviously something is missing from this picture, a woman. To me, this suggests that Lange was trying to capture the absence of the mother, showing just another hardship this family could have faced during the Great Depression. The way this photo is set up also seems to suggest that the car and the baby are the most important possessions the man has left. One, it is the only two things he's touching other than the ground, and two he is standing with these things off to the right side of the picture. Obviously the house displays a lack of wealth and an abundance of poverty just by its appearance. My most favorite part about this picture is the man's stance. I think Lange did a great job in capturing his attitude in this photo. To me his stance says "try me", as if he's acting like the situation he's in can't bring him down. Sort of like he is taking on life. A real "self-made man".
