Jeff Ross

GEN 101: Knowing and Seeing

November 25, 2014

Pieces of the Puzzle

In life we wonder where curiosity and truth intersect, and how is curiosity brought about?
These are questions that seem to float around with no direct answer. Through photography it is
possible to catch a glimpse of this intersection. A well known photographer, Dorothea Lange, had
a career based off of the utilization of viewers curiosity for truth. She used all sorts of different
techniques such as blur and depth of field, to exhibit her subjects (truths) in a manner that
communicated ideas and emotions. Lange worked for the Information Division of the Farm
Security Administration (FSA) as a photographer. The FSA was a program that was designed
around the concept of helping farmers who did not have the means to support themselves, but
still had the passion and drive to keep fighting for sustenance (Gabbert). The information branch
of the FSA was perhaps the most productive part of the whole program. This department was
responsible for documenting current circumstances around the nation, and showcasing them for
people living in the other parts of the nation who may not have a means as to find out what is
happening outside of their community. This documentation was done in many ways, but the most
visible presentation of this information was through the medium of photography. This
documentary-style photography was something that each of the twenty-two FSA photographers

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carried out in their own individual style; however, there was a commonality between all of these
photographers, and this was, that they were all using curiosity to lead viewers to truth. In
photography, curiosity and truth intersect when something is left for the imagination to interpret
the meaning, which becomes apparent when viewing Dorothea Langes photography. Journeying
through Langes life, style, work, and role in the FSA, we will see how in her photography, she
uses different techniques to communicate across ideas to others.
In Langes time with the FSA, she played the role of an informant. She would capture
images from somewhere in the nation, and make them accessible to you wherever you were. She
made it possible for someone from New Jersey to see the issues that were being handled in
California. Lange was specifically assigned the task of tracking the issue of the increasing
number of poverty stricken migrant farmers. At the time, the Dust Bowl had completely
obliterated the agricultural industry in Oklahoma and other regions of the southwest. The Dust
Bowl was a problem that arose in the Southwest (especially Oklahoma) from over-farming and
excessive ranching of animals such as cows, which were eating and grazing in the grass to the
point where there was basically no grass left. There was virtually dust everywhere, which made
the simple act of breathing an extremely difficult task (West, Great Depression 1034). Along
with this infertile dust, the climate in the southwest region was pretty blustery, so dust storms
would whip up and literally bury towns alive in many feet of dust. The farmers, who used to use
this land, were now being forced to move their homes in order to make a living wage. In addition
to this issue, the Southwest was not exempt from the pain that the whole country was feeling due
to the economic crash. Banks were not able to pay people the money which they had put into
accounts. Also, the stock market crash affected everyone also, by most likely making any
stockholders portfolio worth almost nothing. In the southwest, it was Langes job to document

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the journey of farmers pushed off their land by the treacherous conditions. Most of these migrant
farmers made their way up to California, where they were not made to feel very welcome. Many
Californians were very spiteful about the migrant camps opening up all over California (West,
Great Depression 1037). Through this photography Lange was able to connect the nation. The
nation was naturally curious about the state of the other states which they did not live in, and
they did not really have any way to view the situation, so Lange played a significant role in
providing information through photos.
Lange originally planned on becoming a teacher, attending the New York Training School
for Teachers. After many childhood visits from family friend and professional photographer,
Arnold Genthe; Lange took up an interest in photography. Drawing motivation from Clarence H.
Whites photography class, an inspired Lange opened up her own portrait studio, which was
surprisingly successful. This gave Lange some valuable experience which she did not know
would help her so much in the future. Lange learned invaluable techniques such as how to
effectively use blur and shadows to draw the emotions out of someones face. Eventually, Lange
got bored of shooting profiles of people, and ended up focusing more on catching scenes of
nature, especially scenes related to the biology of plants. Although, this fad was quickly dropped,
it allowed for Lange to gain some new skill in the composition of photos. She learned how to put
meaning into seemingly dull photos. When the Great Depression rolled around in 1929, Lange
once again refocused herself, and on her own began to capture photos of the effects of the Great
Depression. Lange ended up being hired by the FSA to show the effects of the Great Depression
on farmers and migrant workers (Grove Art).
Through all of Langes previous photography endeavors, she was using and developing
the techniques which she was going to use for her FSA photography. She was refining the exact

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methods to be used in her work with the FSA. After her work with the FSA, Lange proceeded to
accomplish all kinds of goals in the world of documentary-style photography. On the subject of
documentary-style photography, Lange took a very unique approach to this style of photography,
which is partially what made her such a well-known and reputed photographer. She would take
photos and compose them so that the main subject would be conveying a message, but there was
usually a certain amount of information withheld from the viewer to draw them in deeper.
Examples of this are usages of blur and shadows (Migrant Mother, Nipomo 311).. Messages
within her photos were clear after this brief dive deeper into the photo. It was this curiosity
leading to truth method that was so effective, because it would engage the reader, and tempt
them to dive into the photo, instead of directly showing the meaning of the photo.
A great example of Langes photography of these migrant families was her Migrant
Mother photograph as seen in Figure 1. This photograph was the face of the Great Depression.
The impact of this photo is what makes it special. There are not any frills, or exciting elements,
there is just a simple situation being portrayed, with an element of mystery. After researching
Lange, it became abundantly clear that she loved to use raw photos to capture the feeling in the
scene of wherever she was photographing.
To capture the spirit of the (migrant) camps, Lange created images that frequently
juxtapose signs of human courage and dignity with physical evidence of the indignities of
incarceration. Not surprisingly, many of Lange's photographs were censored by the
federal government, itself conflicted by the existence of the camps. (Women Come to
the Front)

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This photo the captures a sense of dignity, but also of incarceration or injustice due to the woman
acting as a rock for her children whilst the despair upon her face is obvious. This family had just
gone through the unimaginable, as stated by Lange "Destitute in a pea pickers camp, because of
the failure of the early pea crop. These people had just sold their tent in order to buy food."
(Migrant Mother, Eyewitness) This photo was published without the name of the woman
pictured. This was on-purpose; Lange wanted to leave as much personal information out as she
could. Doing this adds to the mystery of the photo, which attracts viewers by intriguing them
with curiosity to try to solve a mystery. In this case Lange used curiosity to make the viewers
wonder about questions such as: what is this womans background? Is this woman going to
survive? Why is this woman in this impoverished camp?
Surprisingly, Lange did not stick to the rules of composing a photo too well for this
picture. This photograph breaks the Rule of Thirds. It is shot with Bulls-Eye syndrome
(Migrant Mother, Nipomo, 310), which is frowned upon in the world of professional
photography. In contrast, I do believe that this photograph was shot with good depth of field and
focus. There is not really any part of the photo that is blurry, which is typically a bad thing, but in
this case the extra detail shows the grittiness of the tent and clothing, and the sheer poverty in
which this family is living. The most important thing in photography is that you get your point
across, and you convey the message you wanted to send, and Lange did an incredible job of this.
Another example of Langes documentary work for the FSA comes in her photograph
Migrant Workers (see Figure 2). From a technical standpoint, this photo doesnt follow many
rules, similarly to Figure 1. Once again, the subject is shot with Bulls-Eye Syndrome, as opposed
to the Rule of Thirds. Also, there is no intentional usage of blur in the photo. Everything in the
photograph is defined, which in this case is a positive, because it allows for viewers to see the

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harsh lifestyle these kids are living, with no real luxuries and many struggles. I do believe that
Langes usage of the hard light in this photo is extremely effective in showing the gritty details
aforementioned. The usage and avoidance of photographic techniques, has enabled for Lange to
exhibit extra details which add to the emotional content of her photography, and help to guide
viewers to quenching their curiosity with knowledge (of the truth).
Diving deeper into the hidden facets of this photo, a much better understanding can be
attained. Looking at the two grungy-looking kids, there is still there is an air of gloom, but if you
look into their eyes you see innocence and purity which gives a sliver of optimism. The two girls
look emaciated, and it feels as if they are staring straight at you, trying to draw you in to help
them. This goes along perfectly with what Lars Eighner says, Lange was noted for her ability
to make her subjects familiar (24). In the way Lange captured her photos, she was consistently
able to convey emotion effectively. In many of the pictures, it is not the technique that enhances
the emotion, but the actual content and composition of the photo. Lange had a knack for
capturing people at vulnerable times, when their walls were all broken down, and the shot is
literally and figuratively unfiltered. It is this raw content which allows viewers to develop their
curiosity into knowledge (of the truth), because there is nothing hindering them from the reality
of the shot.
Overall, Lange uses techniques in her photography in which she literally holds out
information or makes something about the photo unclear literally or figuratively. This creates a
missing piece to the puzzle, which makes people who are viewing the photography go batty over
trying to fill in the last piece of information (or the last piece of the puzzle). This method has an
exceptionally powerful effect upon viewers, and is a fantastic way to drill across a point or to
stress a main idea. Through photos such as the ones contained in Figure 1 and Figure 2, Lange

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takes the viewer on a journey to truth. The viewer is the one in control in deciding what that truth
may be though. Langes photography shows that it does not matter if you follow all of the rules
and conventions laid out in the world of photography; all that matters is simply: how effectively
you drill across your main point. Lange does this through the manipulation of curiosity and truth.

Works Cited
Eighner, Lars. "Dorothea Lange II." The Threepenny Review 60 (1995): 24-25.
JSTOR. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.
Gabbert, Jim. "Farm Security Administration." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.
By Oklahoma Historical Society. Stillwater: Oklahoma State U: Electronic Publishing
Center, 2007. Web. 15 Nov.2014.
<http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/F/FA015.html>
Grove Art Online. "Dorothea Lange." Oxford Art Online. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2013. Web. 15
Nov.2014.
"Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California." Photography the Whole Story. Comp. Juliet Hacking.
New York: Prestel Publishing, 2012. 310-11. Print.
Migrant Mother, 1936. Eyewitness to History, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/migrantmother.htm>.
"West, Great Depression in the American." Encyclopedia of the Great Depression. Vol. 2. New
York: MacMillan Reference USA, 2004. 1030-38. Print.
"Women Come to the Front." Library of Congress. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0013.html>.

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Fig. 1 Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother

of seven children. Age thirty-two. Nipomo,
California.
Yale University. "Migrant Mother."
1936. Dorothea Lange. N.p.: n.p., n.d.
N.pag. Photogrammar. Web. 21 Nov. 2014

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Fig. 2 Migrant Mexican children in contractor's camp at

time of early pea harvest. Nipomo, California
Yale University. "Migrant Workers." 1935. Dorothea
Lange. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N.pag. Photogrammar. Web. 21
Nov. 2014