This picture, taken by Dorothea Lange, depicts a destitute migrant mother of seven, surrounded by her children. This thirty-two year old mother and her children were working as pea-pickers in Nipomo, California in late February and early March, 1936. As the season concluded, this family was living in a tent and eating whatever they could scrounge up from the surrounding fields. Lange took a series of pictures, each one progressing closer to the subject, focusing distinctly on the people in the frame. Despite the obvious economic hardship this family experienced, there is a sense of stability in the way Lange arranged the family. As you examine this image, consider the effect that such photographs had on government officials and the broader American public as they sought political solutions to the suffering caused by the Great Depression.

Investigate the source using the zoom and navigational tools in the Flash player and then answer the questions below.

1			In this photograph, the mother holds a baby in her lap, while two young children cling to her sides, their faces turned from the camera. Discuss the various emotions and moods that are evident in this picture. What does this picture suggest about the reality of the subjects?
2			Compare this photo to "Migrant Mother #1," (elsewhere in this collection) which depicts the same woman with her children. These pictures were taken at different distances from the subjects. Look closely at each one. What do you notice in the picture taken farther from the subjects that you do not notice in the closer photo?
3			Discuss the ways you think pictures such as this one might be used to shift political opinion.
4			The composition of the family is balanced to draw attention to the mother. What is the mood that she radiates? Do you think this arrangement was effective?