3 min

A Picture of Humanity Hidden Treasures at the Library of Congress

    • History

The photograph popularly known as "Migrant Mother" has become an icon of the Great Depression. The compelling image of a mother and her children is actually one of a series of photographs that Dorothea Lange made in February or March 1936 in Nipomo, California. Seeing the photograph in the context of related images, understanding the purpose for which it was made, and knowing something of the photographer's and subject's views of the occasion amplify our perspectives on the image, and, at the same time, suggest that no single meaning can be assigned to it.

The photograph popularly known as "Migrant Mother" has become an icon of the Great Depression. The compelling image of a mother and her children is actually one of a series of photographs that Dorothea Lange made in February or March 1936 in Nipomo, California. Seeing the photograph in the context of related images, understanding the purpose for which it was made, and knowing something of the photographer's and subject's views of the occasion amplify our perspectives on the image, and, at the same time, suggest that no single meaning can be assigned to it.

3 min

Top Podcasts In History

The Rest Is History
Goalhanger Podcasts
Short History Of...
NOISER
The Spy Who
Wondery
History's Secret Heroes
BBC Radio 4
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Dan Carlin
Dan Snow's History Hit
History Hit

More by Library of Congress

Music and Concerts
Library of Congress
Off The Record: The Joe Smith Collection
Library of Congress
Hidden Treasures at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
Music and the Brain
Library of Congress
African-American Passages: Black Lives in the 19th Century Podcast
Library of Congress
Folklife Today Podcast
Library of Congress