As France commemorates 200 years since Nicéphore Niépce captured the world’s oldest surviving photograph, Radio France International (RFI) reflects on images that have reshaped our understanding of history. A notable example is Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother, a poignant portrait that symbolises the suffering of a nation while omitting significant details about its subject.
The famous photograph features a woman with her three children, her face strikingly visible as she gazes off to the side, seemingly lost in thought. The lines on her forehead and the worn clothing of her children convey a sense of hardship, leaving viewers to wonder about their struggles for food and shelter.
Taken in early 1936 during the Great Depression, Migrant Mother quickly became synonymous with the plight of American workers. The tightly framed composition lends it an almost allegorical quality, reminiscent of a Madonna and Child.
Lange, a documentary photographer focused on capturing real stories, occasionally expressed discomfort with the way this single image overshadowed her broader body of work. In 1960, she reflected on its ubiquity, saying, “You may well say to yourself: ‘How many times have I seen this one?’ It is used and published over and over, somewhat to my embarrassment for I am not a ‘one-picture photographer’.”
The image emerged from one of seven photographs Lange took of the same family at a roadside camp for migrant workers in Nipomo, California. Its publication in the San Francisco News on 11 March 1936 highlighted the human toll of California’s migrant labour crisis. The newspaper described it as encapsulating “the tragedy of lives lived in squalor and fear.”
The woman in the image remained anonymous for years, evolving into an archetype for the struggles of many. Uncharacteristically for Lange, who typically invested time in her subjects, she shot this iconic photograph in just a few minutes. Lange encountered the family by chance at the end of an assignment, instinctively choosing to stop at a pea pickers’ camp as she returned home in the rain.
At the time, Lange was documenting the harsh conditions of migrant labourers during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, which aimed to alleviate the effects of the economic depression. Lange captured the essence of her assignment when she met the woman – a mother with seven children, who sought no questions about her life or identity.
Lange’s images sparked real-world change, drawing attention to the struggles faced by migrant workers. Reports credited her photography with prompting state officials to provide urgent assistance. The iconic Migrant Mother resonated so strongly that it encouraged further media coverage of those affected by the Depression, highlighting stories that echoed the themes found in John Steinbeck’s writings.
Despite its fame, the identity of the woman in the photograph was not revealed until 1978. Florence Owens Thompson, a Native American from the Cherokee nation, voiced her discontent about the image, stating, “I didn’t get anything out of it. I wish she hadn’t taken my picture.” Thompson shared that Lange had indicated the pictures weren’t for publication, yet the image became one of the most reproduced in history, appearing on magazine covers, books, and even a US postage stamp.
Thompson’s story highlights misrepresentations: the family had not just recently migrated to California but had lived there for years. They had stopped at the camp due to a broken-down vehicle, and by the time aid arrived, they had already left. Despite their circumstances, Thompson maintained that they merely existed, moving around the state in search of work.
The photograph, focusing on a vulnerable moment, has often been viewed as depicting helplessness. However, Thompson’s children later described her as a strong and determined figure. Lange’s portrayal invites reflection on whether the image captures Thompson as an overwhelmed mother or as a resilient pillar of strength.
Florence Owens Thompson passed away in 1983 at the age of 80. A later photograph of her with her daughters shows them dressed in white, smiling – in stark contrast to the somber mood of Lange’s iconic image. Thompson’s expression, however, remains enigmatic, suggesting a complex relationship with her past.
As we celebrate two centuries of photography, RFI invites audiences to explore how images have profoundly influenced our understanding of the world.
