Erid Jata
Photography
DOCUMENTING THE GREAT DEPRESSION
1.
Why the project (Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Photograph Collection) has significant impact on the society?
This project has a significant impact in the society because this collection forms an extensive pictorial record of American life between 1935 and 1944. The photographers made approximately 1600 color photographs that focus on rural areas and farm labor as well as aspects of World War II mobilization, and also on the everyday life of American people.
2.
What was the role of "Migrant Mother" photographs in the period or great depression and what is it nowadays?
At the time, “Migrant Mother” became a symbol of the migrant farm workers during the great depression meanwhile nowadays I think that these photographs are a symbol of mother’s love and care. Doesn't matter the circumstances, a mother will always do the best for their children.
Migrant Mother
3.
Did Dorothea Lange present the truth with the "Migrant Mother" photographs? Did Lange provide facts and accurate information to the public about the subject of her photos?
It is true that, using her photographs, she provides some facts about how migrants were living and the hard ‘situations’ they were in, but regarding what Florence Owens Thompson, the “Migrant Mother” said later on, turns out that Lange did not have the correct information about Thompson’s family and did not have the consent to publish those photos. So Lange did not provide accurate information.
4.
Did the migrant mother like the photographs? Was she happy about them and the message they send to the world? Was her family happy with the photographs and how they were presented to the world?
She didn’t like the photographs, and they were not happy about the message their photographs send to the world because they had a completely wrong explanation. The Migrant Mother was a strong woman once, and these photographs did not show her as one. They were ashamed of them, they didn’t want anyone to know who they were. Later on the family started to feel proud about the photographs after receiving many letters, approximately 2000, from all over United States telling them how The Migrant Mother became their representing face and how she started to make a change.
