Portrait of a Tragedy - Aurora Hooper 

Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California is Lange's most recognizable and iconic works. When people think about the Great Depression, they are most likely reminded of this photograph. The woman seen here is named Florence Owens Thompson. What stands out most in this photograph is the formal element of space. There is practically no space in the photo. The woman is surrounded by 3 young children. Physically, she appears stuck and weighed down. Realistically, she is weighed down by children, but metaphorically, the world around her is crumbling on top of her, making it impossible to fight back. The major principle of design seen here is emphasis/focus. All the children are turned away from her, so hers is the only face seen. Her hand leads our eyes to her eyes as she rests her head on her palm. The focus is her eyes, which tell a story of what awful things are happening around her.

Pictured here is Damaged Child, Shacktown, Elm Grove, Oklahoma. We see a little girl no older than 7. She looks dirty, hungry, scared and angry. Obviously, growing up during the Great Depression would take a toll on a human, but this little girl, so innocent an young, looks as though she has seen a lot. The formal element that stands out in this photograph is Value. This photo has a lot of varying light in it. The viewer is most attracted to the dark hollows that are her eyes. It's very difficult to make out an iris or pupil, instead black caverns are where her eyes should be. The eyes are the gateway to the soul, and share the true emotion that someone feels. For this little girl to lack them, makes the viewer think she has become soulless; as if she has no emotions or feelings because it's easier during a time of such distress. The movement in her shirt and arms is very beautiful. One can imagine that she shakes a little, and tugs and pulls at the cloth on her body. On can only imagine how uncomfortable she must be. To capture that uncomfortableness in a photograph is remarkable.

Waiting for Work on Edge of the Pea Field, Holtville, Imperial Alley, California, is a photograph taken towards the end of the Great Depression, but it still captures the horrible mood of the time. We see a man sitting with his arms together, looking into the distance. His hat sits just above his eyes and we can get a glimpse at what he must be feeling. He looks uncomfortable sitting in the dirt, and appears to wish he were somewhere else. The texture of this picture is a key factor in why it is so powerful. The camera did a beautiful job at getting all the tiny details of the dirt and rubble surrounding the man. One would feel like they could reach down and run their hand over the ground, and know the exact feeling of it. It shows what an awful place he is in, and how unfortunate he is to be sitting on the painful ground. As for a principle of design, there is a pattern of men in the photo. Although we cannot see the other two men sitting beside our main character, we know they are there, as their elbows stick into frame. This leads one's eyes to imagine a long line of men sitting next to one another. This pattern symbolizes the unity of man during this time, and how everyone felt the pain of the Great Depression.

Daughter of Migrant Tennessee Coal Miner, Living in American River Camp near Sacramento, California is a beautiful photo in this collection of Lange's work. Here we see a young woman in a chair, with her hand holding her head up. She looks to be a beautiful girl, but she's experiencing a hardship. From her surroundings we can assume that she doesn't live in the nicest of places, and is struggling to power through. The viewer can really pick up on the balance in this photo. The sitting woman takes up about half of the image, the other half being utilized by the presence of the barrel and other background. It's nice that that isn't necessarily the only focus. Her background gives a little more insight to the person she is. The formal element of line is also present here. The photo includes mostly curved lines. The curved lines of her body and face, the curve in her hand, the curve in the barrel, the curve in the chair, and the curves of the blankets and sheets behind her, all represent a more relaxed feel. She bring out a soothing and familiar tone because of the curves. As a woman, she is more inviting because of them, and reminds the viewer of something recognizable and familiar.

White Angel Breadline, San Francisco depicts a man standing in line waiting for food. He is the only subject who is showing his face. The emotion he shares with the photographer explains that he is sick of his awful situation. He understands that he must stand and wait for his food, but here he looks as though he can't understand why it's even worth it. He looks incredibly upset and distraught, as almost to say, "what's the point?" Again with lines, the first element the viewer notices about this picture is the bar he is leaning on. The bar is beaten and worn, and looks stiff. The other men are facing away from it, and are pushing there backs to it, while the main subject leans on the bar for support. The bar helps lead our eyes to the man, but also represents the strength that he is in search of. Repetition is a reoccurring theme in this collection because everyone was experiencing the same thing during this time period. Every man and woman was feeling the pain brought on by the Great Depression, so every person appears similarly upset. Each person wears a similar outfit and hat, and holds the same stature. This represents the unity of the hardships they all faced.

Ex-Slave with Long Memory, Alabama is a photo that depicts an older woman, who based on the photograph title, is an ex-slave. She stands with a cane and has her hair wrapped up in a scarf. She doesn't look at the camera, instead she appears to be in mid-conversation with someone; perhaps, Lange herself? It looks as though she has something important to say, making her more intriguing to look at. Space is a big element to this photograph. When one look at this picture, they see a lot of space. The woman appears to be standing by herself in the middle of a field or dirt road. She is physically and metaphorically alone. What her story holds, that she appears to be saying, could mean nothing if no one is there to hear her. Because the woman is standing alone, with what appears to be a small building behind her, the proportion of her is very lifelike. If this was to be printed 6 feet tall, the woman would appear as though she was right in the room. Because she is so believable with the angle that this picture was taken, one finds her much more relatable, as they see her as a real person, not just someone in a photograph.

Six Lettuce Pickers is a photograph that speaks for itself. Pictured are 6 workers in a field picking lettuce. No one in the picture particularly stands out, in fact, not a single face is seen. The picture captures the uniformity of the times, and how people were just trying to get by, rather than stand out in any particular way. The texture of this piece makes one feel very uncomfortable. Whether it's the lettuce heads, the cracked ground, or the wrinkled clothes, I'm not sure. One can just feel how dry and hot the area must be, and how awful the workers must feel. The ripples in the lettuce, the cracks in the ground and the textures of the shirts all contribute to the overall feel of this piece. With all the men doing the same motion over and over and over again, the viewer can imagine their movement very easily. They bend down, pick the lettuce, collect it, and take short breaks to stretch their spine. It's so easy to see that motion in one's head. To create that feeling through one still photograph is amazing. It's most easily imagined because of when Lange took the photograph; when they were all crunched down, rather than various stages of the movement.

Six Tenant Farmers without Farms, Hardeman County, Texas is a portrait of 6 men, leaning against a small building. They all wear work clothes, and look ready for any job. By the caption one understands that there is unfortunately no work for them to tend to. This being the Great Depression, there obviously wasn't much work for anyone to tend to. People were still plenty able to do work, but just couldn't find the opportunity to do so. The value and saturation of this photograph comes through immensely. It would not make much of a statement if the photograph lacked these qualities. The darks tones of the overalls, pants and sweater really make the men stand out against the lighter colored wood behind them. The dark values behind their backs in the photographs emulates that the photo could have been taken anywhere, since it hides any detail of where they could be. This is the only photograph in the collection that really utilizes variety. It has the most people pictured (besides the lettuce pickers) and features a variety of clothing. It's an interesting photo to look at because the viewer's eyes move from each face and each body slowly, finding new qualities of each. It allows the viewer to create a story about each one. Most pictures tell a thousand words, but this one exceeds that.

The last two photographs in the collection of Lange's portraits of the Great Depression are not portraits of people but instead portraits of where they lived and prayed. Pea Picker's Home, Nipoma, California, captures the home of a farmer. It appears to be a worn truck, and multiple sheets flung over both the truck and various stakes. The home looks uncomfortable, dirty and extremely makeshift. Sadly, this was typical for the time and event. There are many shapes when one looks at this photo. The shadows created in the tent, in the wheel well of the truck and on the ground allow the camera to find some pretty interesting designs. The tent and truck themselves have taken form of one uniform object, a home. Although this contraption is very makeshift, it's all that someone's got. Because of the subjects interesting matter, the viewer can see a lot of variety in the photo. There is so much to look at in this picture. One's eyes first see the wrinkled sheet, and then the license plate, and finally the pile of wood in the bottom of the frame. You could stare at this piece for hours trying to make a story about the person who lives there.

For the last photograph, Freedom of Religion: Three Denominations (Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist Churches) on the Great Plains, Dixon, Near Winner, South Dakota, the viewer sees three churches. Again, this photo is not a portrait of a person, but instead a place. In this case, in a time of this much distraught, a place held as much meaning to some as another person. People view the church as a place of sacred worship, a place to explain their problems and search for answers. During the Great Depression, people turned to God and their faith to seek guidance. This simple structure was a beacon of hope. The lines of this church make one feel a little uneasy. Most likely, Lange didn't this on purpose, but the photograph is a little off axis. The church tilts to the right with the angle of the Earth. The only suggestion to why, is that either it was a complete accident, or she's trying to show that people don't trust the church anymore. In a time of such sorrow and distraught, maybe people looked at the church and at God, and thought, "why?" It could symbolize the loss of faith, the crookedness of hopes and dreams. The balance found in this piece is actually off. As stated before, the picture was taken on an angle, so one can literally feel the tilt. It is seen with the landscape, and with the stick that is mounted in the ground, leaning in the opposite direction.