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

Lange, Dorothea, photographer.

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

1936 Feb. or Mar.

1 negative : nitrate ; 4 x 5 in.

Notes:
Photograph shows Florence Thompson with three of her children in a photograph known as "Migrant Mother." For background information, see "Dorothea Lange's M̀igrant Mother' photographs ..." www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/128_migm.html

Digital file made from the original nitrate negative for "Migrant Mother" (LC-USF34-009058-C). The negative was retouched in the 1930s to erase the thumb holding a tent pole in lower right hand corner. The file print made before the thumb was retouched can be seen at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b29516.

Title from caption card.
Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944.

Subjects:
 Migrant agricultural laborers.
Mothers.
Poor persons.
Migrants--California
United States--California--San Luis Obispo County--Nipomo.

Format: Nitrate negatives.
Portrait photographs.
Group portraits.

Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.

Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, DC 20540, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Part Of: Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection

More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.fsaowi

Persistent URL: hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b29516

Call Number: LC-USF34- 009058-C

Comments and faves

  1. ★

    carissa gallo, Jeff Van de Walker, brettbigb, solidaster, and 2821 other people added this photo to their favorites.

  2. captainslack (43 months ago | reply)

    This is about as classic as classic gets!

  3. trialsanderrors (43 months ago | reply)

    Rarely seen alternative views:

    The whole family:

  4. another sergio (43 months ago | reply)

    Such a beautiful and telling photo! Always a favorite!

  5. SMR Labs (43 months ago | reply)

    I spent forever dust spotting that sucker to do a print. Huge scan at the LOC.

  6. trialsanderrors (43 months ago | reply)

    Large-size jpg version

  7. Christopher Rauch (43 months ago | reply)

    I loved this picture as a child...

  8. WorldWideWiersma (43 months ago | reply)

    i can't rmeber where, but I have seen the interview with her, in her eighties or so, very impressive; you have to see it:
    www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/mov ies/thompson...

  9. LelahO (43 months ago | reply)

    trialsanderrors Wow, that is amazing.

  10. i didn't mean to go to Stoke (43 months ago | reply)

    staggering

  11. ArchedRoof (43 months ago | reply)

    Now I'm MEGA impressed Flickr have finally managed to get this incredible series of photos online.

    MEGA
    IMPRESSED

  12. ¡!¡Kayla!¡! [deleted] (43 months ago | reply)

    ive seen this in myhistory book

  13. annapurna356 (43 months ago | reply)

    A classic. This has been one of my all-time favourite photos for years and I'm glad to see it on Flickr (finally).

    This is one that I always come back to--I never get tired of it and it never fails to draw me in. It's impossible to take my eyes off her face.

  14. Resmi 17 (43 months ago | reply)

    A photo that made me cry ...

  15. looking4poetry (43 months ago | reply)

    the photo that made me want to practice photography and be a photoreporter...

  16. TexKap (43 months ago | reply)

    What also makes Lange such a great photographer is seeing the full negative frame here and noting that she cropped with the camera, and not just in the darkroom.

    Did you know that you can go to the LOC and request archival prints of great images like this and those of Walker Evans?

  17. L. Ryan Riley (43 months ago | reply)

    I remember studying photography from this time period in school and the impact that single image made.

  18. Arty Smokes (deaf mute) (43 months ago | reply)

    Top quality scan of my all-time favourite photo. The Eastman House print is evidently a lot grittier. It also includes the thumb.


    --
    http://blog.flickr.net/en/2009/05/22/library- of-congress-debuts-iconic-great-depression-ph otos/ (?)

  19. yagmur_karatokus (43 months ago | reply)

    amazing...

  20. John-F (43 months ago | reply)

    Hard to put into words the affect this photograph has

  21. .bullish (43 months ago | reply)

    classic

  22. astro twilight (43 months ago | reply)

    iconic and relevant to this day.

  23. poulencfan (43 months ago | reply)

    These three images together are a fantastic teaching/learning aid. Sadly we normally only get to see the main image as here. But the other two deserve to be seen more often.

  24. the other Bailey (43 months ago | reply)

    haunting and beautiful at the same time - an image i grew up with.

  25. OneMipipippi (43 months ago | reply)

    Such a timeless image, and at the same time so much of its time. I guess the amazing talent and quality is what makes it so enduring.

  26. puremaguire (43 months ago | reply)

    wow what an amazing peice of history - tells a storey without words - timeless

  27. the half-blood prince (43 months ago | reply)

    classic.

  28. That Tom Hall (tommune) (43 months ago | reply)

    Wow, such an impactful photo.... thanks so much for providing this "for the people".

    Very cool.

  29. danedeasy (43 months ago | reply)

    I love this. One of my favorites of all times.

  30. Cedric Thual (43 months ago | reply)

    What a strong and beautiful photograph. A classic.

  31. pangpong[bz] (43 months ago | reply)

    a classic!

  32. eddyizm (43 months ago | reply)

    one of my all time fave photographers!

    --
    http://blog.flickr.net/en/2009/05/22/library- of-congress-debuts-iconic-great-depression-ph otos/ (?)

  33. Brock N. Meeks (43 months ago | reply)

    @paulmcmahon This photo is staged?! Man, what kool-aid have you been drinking?

    It's ludicrous that she would go to the trouble of staging a photo; I supposed she "staged" having that thumb in the image, too? That's how you can tell it isn't staged. She went to great lengths to have that re-touched for her custom prints in the subsequent years.

  34. stormdickinson (43 months ago | reply)

    Was there ever an iconic depression photojournalist like Ms. Lange? One who captured the moment and did it with style.

  35. Lesley:Consys Photo (43 months ago | reply)

    one of my most favorite photos

  36. Jan of Two Sisters (43 months ago | reply)

    this has always been my all time favorite photo.

  37. jon.atli (43 months ago | reply)

    www.annewhistonspirn.com/author/books.html

  38. tkadusky (43 months ago | reply)

    tjkadusky cannot get on flicker hangl photos and videos help

  39. Arty Smokes (deaf mute) (43 months ago | reply)

    paulmcmahon The photo probably *was* used for propaganda. Just about any government-approved photo can be. But the photo was not staged at all. You can read the story of how it came about here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Owens_Thompson and also see the other five images that Lange took. She literally got out of her car, walked towards the woman while taking the pictures, then left.

  40. ∞bee.m∞ (43 months ago | reply)

    This is one of my favorite pictures from the great depression.
    It's so iconic.

  41. echohoody (43 months ago | reply)

    Yes, I did an essay on this photograph.

  42. Hell's Donut House (43 months ago | reply)

    Video interview with Florence Thompson, the "Mona Lisa of the Dust Bowl"

    Girl from iconic Great Depression photo: 'We were ashamed'

  43. Jay-Mac (43 months ago | reply)

    I just had to study about the FSA & these photographs. Interesting how relevant things just pop up like that.

  44. behindthescene_us (43 months ago | reply)

    the daughter lives down the street from me. Her house burned and now restored, she nearly lost everything. Modesto, Ca

  45. urlite_shine (43 months ago | reply)

    I remember being inspired by Dorothea Lange's work in elementary school. This was way before I was even thinking about picking up a camera. To this day, I am inspired by her successful attempt at shedding light the on struggle of the working class during the Depression Era. You forever rock, lady!

  46. Jon Duenas (43 months ago | reply)

    One of my all time favorite photos ever.

  47. Pranjal Mahna (43 months ago | reply)

    It always stays with you once you've seen it

  48. davidfntau (43 months ago | reply)

    I discovered a series of these images in an old real to real film that was marked for discard at our university library...
    It's great to see that image again. It nearly made me cry to see it thrown out. There were stories told back then that we would benefit greatly from today.
    The images are so beautiful, if it's possible to be so tragic and beautiful at the same time.

    Thanks for posting this.

  49. }~T~{ (43 months ago | reply)

    That is one strong picture -

  50. © noborders (43 months ago | reply)

    everyone remembers this photo but still, it's great to have posted it here, since it's one of those which should be seen again and again !

    it won't cease to touch me deeply... thinking of all the refugees in the world right now...

  51. thomask (43 months ago | reply)

    and even those that aren't americans!

    www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-11 59677/Pictur...

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