Exposé, migrant mother

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she is a strong woman who just want to fight for her children.She is touching her chin with her right hand, which make her look really thoughtful. We can link that with her lost expression. She appears really worried, lost and tired. We can also see that she’s holding one of her child, who is wrapped in a damaged blanket. The baby is sleeping, he seems peaceful, he is not aware about the struggle of his mother, or the delicate situation in which is America at the moment . The two others have their heads rested on the woman’s shoulders, their faces are hidden from the camera. They seem afraid of the reality of life. They are holding on to their mother very tightly. We can see that because of the child on the right who’s clenching his fist. The second child on the left is hiding even more. Like their mother, they’re wearing rags, which intensify their poverty. Their hair are also messy and dirty, and they both have the same haircut, which apparently seem to have been made by their mother. The children seem really afraid about this terrible situation they cannot confront. The fact that Florence is the only one looking into the camera, and facing her problems head off gives her the image of a protective mother. This photograph is the symbol of the woman who had to take care of her family in this critical situation all by herself. The empty background reminds us of the poverty of this family and the emptiness of the mother’s look. Furthermore, the shades of grey on this photograph create a sad atmosphere which echoes to the misery we previously described.

And Now that we analyzed the photograph in all its form, we’re going to talk about the backstory of the photograph, its historical meaning.

Dorothea Lange was part of the FSA, and she had to take pictures in order to prove a point, and to bring forward the consequences of the 1929 crisis, and she found the perfect subject in the person of Florence Thompson, who embodied perfectly the misery in which the migrants were. After getting back home, the photographer sent the picture to a San Fransisco newspaper. They published an article including Lange’s images, then, they warned federal authorities. Thanks to this publication, the camp where Florence Owens Thompson was staying, received around 9 kg of food from the government. This photograph intended to bring attention to the rest of the world on the poverty of the rural world. It also represented a huge help to Roosevelt with his New Deal.

In the hand, this photograph which reported on the situation of the migrants, their misery, became an icon of the Great Depression.

Conclusion:

We have now all the informations we need to answer the question.

Due to the Great Depression, the Americans, had to find a way to go on with their life, but that was not an easy part. Indeed, the families were struggling really hard to feed themselves, and especially their children. The picture incarnates this huge problem that took place in the 20th century in the american society. Its main purpose is to highlight the inequalities that took places after 1929. This crisis just magnified the gap between wealthy people and poor people. In deed while some people didn’t fall too deep and were able to recover from the crisis, those who suffered were incapable of achieving the well-known «American Dream».This supposed ’American Dream’ was a real problem was a real problem since It was inaccessible to some people.

The answer to the question «Does this picture represent an American Dream for all?» is without hesitating no. In deed, this powerful photograph shows us the devastating consequences of the Great Depression on people like Florence Thompson. Not everybody could achieve the American Dream. Florence Owens Thompson remains today THE migrant mother.

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