an analysis of Dorothea Lange's photography career in conflict with family life

114 Pages·2012·2.18 MB·English

by  May, Cheryl.

/WOMAN'SWORI
J°'
An AnalysisOf
DorotheaLange'sPhotographyCareer
In Conflict With FamilyLife
by
CHERYLMAY
B.A., Universityof Missouri, KansasCity, 1974
AMASTER'STHESIS
submitted inpartial fulfillmentof the
requirementsfor thedegree
MASTEROFSCIENCE
Department of JournalismandMassCommunications
KANSASSTATEUNIVERSITY
Manhattan, Kansas
1985
Approvedby:
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Ma/orpt'ofessor
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TABLEOFCONTENTS (\\\ A115D2 bMSlbb
LISTOFPHOTOGRAPHS 1 iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS '.1 v
ChapteSrignifiI.cancIeNTORfODTUhCeTIOStNudy 1
TLhaengeW'osmanCo'nstrRiobluetion toDocumentaryPhotography
Chapter II. DESCRIPTIONOFTHEMAJORSOURCESFOR
THESTUDY 13
Introduction
Explanation
Chapter III. FORCESTHATSHAPEDTHELIFEANDPHOTOGRAPHIC
APPROACHOFDOROTHEALANGEASFOUND
INTHELITERATURE 16
Unpublished Studies
Published Studies
Lange'sBackground
Li-faAsAnOutsider
PhotographicBeginnings
ToSeeTheWorld
Portrait Studio
MarriageToMaynardDixon
WLoamnagne''s5WCoormkpassion—Was It AFeminineTrait?
LangeA "People" Photographer
DepressionEconomies
Awakening Social Consciousness
Taking PhotographyToTheStreets
Meeting Taylor
MigrantMother
Roosevelt'sReforms
TDhievorFScAe—FCroomnflMiacytnsardAmiDdixoPnroductivity
TheGrapesof Wrath
ATnheAmFeirnailcanCoEnxfoldiucst—Career VersusFamily
Chapter IV. FAMILYLIFECONFLICTSWITHCAREER
ASMENTIONED INORALHISTORIES 61
LIanntgroed'usctPeiornsonality
FTahmeilFyirsRtelaMtairornisahgiep—sDixon
Dixon'sSketching Trips
Boarding TheChildren
CONTINUED
Conflict BetweenFamilyandPhotography
ChildCare
TimeFor Photography
LangeTheCompassionate
Getting Involved With TheSubject
Lange'sHandicap
Social Issues Important
Working To "TheLastDitch"
On Being An Artist
Conclusions
Afterword
BIBLIOGRAPHY 102
LISTOFPHQTDBRAPHS
<1) "WomanOf TheTexasPanhandle," MigratoryLaborer'swifewith 9
threechildren, nearChildress, Texas, June 1938
<2> TomCollins, manager of FSA'sArvinmigratoryfarmworkers' 37
camp, withadroughtrefugeefamily, Kern County, California,
November 1936
(3) "MigrantMother," destitute inpeapickerscamp, Nipomo, 40
California, March 1936
(4) Thewindshield of amigratoryagricultural laborer'scar, in 46
asquatter'scampnear Sacramento, California, November 1936
(5) "Ditched, Stall(3d, andStranded," ascropped byLange, San 51
JoaquinValley, California, 1936.
(6) Peopleliving in miserablepoverty, ElmBrove, Oklahoma,
August 1936
(7) Familywalkingonhighway, fivechildren. Started from 81
Idabel, Oklahoma, bound for Krebs, Oklahoma, June 1938
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thisdescriptivestudycould not havebeenwritten
withoutthemagnificentoral historyinterviewsconductedby
SuzanneReissof TheBancroft Libraryat theUniversityof
California, Berkeley. Special thankstoElizabeth Eshleman
of TheBancroft Librarywhowent out of her waytohelp me
obtaincopiesof theLangeand Taylor oral histories.
Alsohelpful wereLorettaGargan and ThereseHeymanof
TheOaklandMuseum. Theyprovided working space,
encouragement, and accesstoall thevast material that
comprisestheLangeCollection.
commitIteael,soJiampprMeocrriiast,etChaerolhelOpukraondpsaundppoBrotbpBroontvriadgeedr.bymTyheir
guidance, constructivecriticisms, and challenging questions
choeullpdedpumteitontodoitm.ybeston aproject thatdeserved thebest I
AgnesILyomwaenaLiltahrggoew.debtDestpoitmeyhlaavtienggrahanddmovtehreyr,litStalreaformal
education, she loved learning, and impressed upon methe
importanceof an education. Shetaughtmethat adesireto
learn ismoreimportant than theneighborhoodwhereyougrow
up. Shewas asurvivor awoman whowasstrong becauseshe
rhcaaodinssicnnoigouosmtenhee—rssIcwhwaohisecnen.ostheSqhudeiietdewastawto4.7agewhSeh8n0e.wsahsesttoiolklonraitshiengtasmkyof
suppoMrytivheusbaanndd,wonGdareyr,fulandthmryougsohno,utJ—arseod,muchhavesobetehnatthis is
theirproject aswell asmine. I'msurethat either of them
couldgivealectureonLangewithnotrouble.
—Cheryl May
Chapter I.
Introduction
thefiPresotpleoneoft[ednocutemlelntamreyI was
npohnosteongsrea.pherWh]e.n..ytohuat'r'esin a
thingyoufindtherewere
peoplethereahundred years
haagod!didBnu'tttshetemimfpruolmseantyhoanteI
else.
—Lange
Langewasright—shewasn'tthefirstdocumentary
photographer MathewBradyandLewisHineprecededher. But
shebroughtdocumentaryphotographytonewheights. Sheused
herphotographiceyeand hercompassion for her subjectsto
drawAmerica'sattentiontothepoor andforgotten. This
descriptivestudywill bean attempt toexploreDorothea
Langeasoneof America'sforemostwomenphotographers.
Shebrought aboutsocial changethrough herphotographs.
DorotheaLangewasagiant amongphotographers—her images
had influenceon political decisionsaswell ason individual
feelingsandperceptions. Asamember of theFSAphotography
staff, shewas in companywith top photographic talent.
Excellent photographyabounded at theFSA, yet her
photographsstood out fromtheothers.
Her contributionstophotojournalismand todocumentary
photographywereenormous.
BecauseLange'sworkhadsuch aprofound effect on
Americansociety, it behoovesustolearn asmuch aboutthis
outstanding individual aspossible.
Althoughmuch hasbeen written about her, oneareain
particular hasbeen left unexplored. Wedonot haveaclear
understandingof howLangecombined aspectacular career in
photographywith apersonallysatisfyingfamily life.
It ishoped that thisnewand unexploredareaof
commentarybyLangeand bypersonsclosetoher will
contributeto insight andunderstandingof Langeand her
uniquetalentsand totheempathetic approach topeopleand
photographythatpervadesher work. Sheset thestandardfor
documentaryphotographers, both maleandfemale, whohave
followedher through theyears.
Langewouldbeimportant andworthyof studyasan
outstandingcareer woman, asaphotographer, or asan
individual for her societal accomplishmentsduringthe
Depressionand afterwards. Yet all theseachievementswere
accomplishedbyone individual, making her even more
important asafigurefor studyand examination.
Thisdescriptivestudy iswritten asahelpful addition
tothe informationavailableon Langeandasacontribution
tothehistoryof women'sroles in alternativeprofessionsas
wel1.
ThisthesisexaminesDorotheaLange'scareer in
photography. It differsfromother studiesof Lange inthat
it -focusesonhowherphotographywasaffectedbyher
womanhood. Wastheprofession moredifficult for herbecause
of her se>c? Didphotographyinterferewith her homeand
familylife? Conversely, didher family life interferewith
herphotography? Wassheamorecompassionateobserver
becauseshewasawoman?
Although much hasbeenwritten about Lange'shistoryas
aphotographer, nostudieshavedealt exclusivelywith her
position asawoman in thispredominantlymalefield. This
isan important areaof Lange'shistorythat hasbeen touched
on briefly, butnot examined in depth in anyof themany
popular and scholarlyworksthat deal with her lifeandwork.
Significanceof theStudy—LangeasaModern RoleModel
Astudyof DorotheaLange'sphotographyc:Areer is
particularlyappropriatewith thewomen'smovement
encouraging women toexploreeveryavailableopportunityto
enrichtheir lives.
Manywomen in our societywant acareer but donot want
to foregothetraditional roleof wifeand mother. Although
women todaymaybelievethat combining ^ar^tsr and family isa
newchallenge, examiningLange's lifeshowsthat it isnot.
Thisthesiswill showhowonewoman, DorotheaLange, metthe
challengeand combined an outstanding career with afamily
lifethatbrought her satisfaction. In the 1930s, such a
combination wasconsidered avant garde.
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Studying howagreat photographer combined thesediverse
areasof her lifemayencourageother women whowould make
themostof their talents. Byexamining Lange's lifeand
career, women can beencouraged byarolemodel whosucceeded
against difficult odds inmaintainingthefamilythat she
desired and thecareer that sheneeded.
TheWoman'sRole
ThisstudyexaminesLange'sposition asawoman
artist-photographer, including thefactorsthat made it
especiallydifficult for her asawoman. Shesaid that her
position varied fromthat of aman in thesamesituation.
"Thewoman'sposition isimmeasurablymorecomplicated.
Therearenot verymanyfirst-classwomen producers."(1>
YetLangeherself becameoneof thosefewfirst-class
women producers. Her effortsweresosuccessful that she
carvedapermanentplacefor herself in thehistoryof
photography. At thesametime, shemanaged tosustain a
family lifefor herself and the familyshetreasured.
Langewasawifeand mother whosometimessacrificed
car&sr goalsfor her family. At other timesher family life
most certainly sufferedbecauseof her photographycareer.
Despitesomesimilarities, Langewasawareof vast
differencesbetween herself and most other women of her era.
Shehad adrive, atrade, and adeveloping social
consciousnessthat compelled her tohelp right someof the
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wrongsthat shesawin her country. Shehadproblemsof her
awn, includingalimp that affected her emotionallyand
physicallybut that mayhavehelped to increaseher rapport
with her subjects. Sheunderstood peoplewith problems. In
apopular articlepublishedseveral yearsafter her death,
VanDerenCokecalled her "thecompassionaterecorder:"
Shemadeintimatecontactwith the
victims Cof theDepression] andtherefore
wasabletocatch thedeadeningeffects
of thedisaster that depopulatedpartof
mid-America, aswell astheSouth and
Stohuitrhtwieessth..a.veLanegnedu'rsedpicasturiemsporoftantthe
referential documentswhich help to
defineadark period inour historybut
theyar&muchmorethan acollection of
factsof social import. Theysirssymbols
of theerosionof apeoples' spirit in a
timewhen natureturned itsbackon those
whotilled thesoil.(2)
Just asLangeoffered hopeand inspiration tothe
victimsof theDepression through her photos, todayastudy
of Lange's lifeand work provides inspiration formodern
women whowould enter predominantlymaleprofessions. When
Langebeganhercareer asaphotographer in the 1920s, most
women in thelabor forcewereservants, teachers, farm
laborers, stenographers, and typists. Shenot onlyentered
and succeeded inapredominantlymaleprofession, but she
usedher uniquevision topoint out social injustices inthis
country. Sheevolved intoaphotographer with astrong sense
of purpose. Shewasamajor force in thebirth and growthof
photojournalism. When she left her studiofor street
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