Dorothea Lange was an American photographer and photojournalist. Her work during the Depression era is what she is best known for. In 1936, she took a series of photographs depicting migrant workers and their families in a camp in California. The photos were all taken in black and white. The most famous photo from this series is entitled A Migrant Mother. The photo includes four subjects, a mother and three of her children. The mother is in the middle, holding her baby, and her other children rest their heads on her shoulders. The mother looks into the distance as her children walk away from the camera. They all wear tattered clothes and are dirty. The second photo was taken of the same family, but from afar. The family lives in a small tent that looks like it could fall at any moment. There are now five people in the photo. They are alone in a large empty field. Their only belongings are shown coming out of a few suitcases. This photo shows the terrible living conditions in migrant camps. Although photo number one focuses on the emotions of despair, photo number two shows this despair in a more physical sense. Together, in these two photographs, Lange is able to reveal the vast effects of the Great Depression. Both photographs were captured in black and white, which is a quality they share. This lack of color fills both images with emotion. Black and white photos appear somewhat dull and lifeless, much like the Great Depression. The lack of color in both photos shows that the vibrancy of life has been sucked out of the people. Color can be used as a mood elevator, and as these photos were taken in black and white, the mood seems depressed...... middle of paper ......felt the people involved , but also America. This image gives the viewer a true sense of what it was like to live during the Great Depression. The Great Depression took its toll not only on the physical population, but also on the emotions of those involved. Lange shows the multiple effects of the Great Depression in his photos by not only focusing on America's environmental degradation. The physical and emotional effects, shown through photography, allowed the outside world to better understand the struggles of poor Dust Bowl families. Lange drew a parallel to the Great Depression because she presented it in a physical and emotional way. It is important that people not only see the effects of the Great Depression, but also be able to feel how it affected those involved. Works Cited “Dorothea Lange”. Wikipedia. Internet. October 26. 2013.