Dorthea Lange
Born:
What did she do before becoming a photographer?
Why was she a photographer?
Education:
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May 26, 1895, in Hoboken, New Jersey.
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She attended the New York Training School for Teachers in 1913 but didn't like teaching that much. She then decided to pursue art at Columbia University.
Personal events that affected her art:
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When Lange was Seven she got Polio which weakened her right leg and foot.
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By this occurring, it informed her by humiliating, guided, and shaped her.
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She went to school to become a teacher when she realized it wasnt for her.
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She first got into documentary photography because her husband at the time was a muralist and they traveled around the southwest.
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She took many images of rural hardship inspired by her neighborhood around her.
Death:
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She died of esophageal cancer in October 1965.
Historical Connections:
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The pictures she took in 1933 of the farmers were hoped to raise awareness of the conditions and be shown to the Farm Security Administration.
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Dorthea Lange worked with many famous magazines such as Fortune and Life.
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She took documentary photos of the Great Depression era. She took these to show the hardships of people around her and raise awareness.
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She began to work with Paul S. Taylor, an economist, after he viewed her work and was very impressed. He invited her to document his visit to the Unemployed Exchange Association.
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He didn't just want any photographer to photograph the working conditions with the State Emergency Relief Administration so he asked her.