After reading Chapter 1, comment on the proposed question below:
Below is a well-known image from the Depression era in the United States. You may have seen it used before in many different contexts. When Dorothea Lange took this photo, she was working on a set of photos funded in part by the Farm Security Administration, an effort to help poor farm workers. (More here and here.)
Make some observations about the image, in light of what you read in Chapter 1.
Lesser known are the images that Lange shot on the same roll of film, but which have not been published widely:
How would the essayists of Ways of Seeing ask us to interpret the first image? What would they say is revealed in the second and third images? What would they say about cropping, context, and the dissemination of mechanically reproduced images?
Write on these thoughts, and discuss with each other, before next class.
The picture to me looks like the woman is either homeless or depressed.
ReplyDeleteAngel Herrera.
ReplyDeleteFor me, this picture represets whats people used to faced during the depression era. The first image for me represents the that the lady is thinking on her future, and the ones of who look like her kids. The second and third portrayed a sad and melancholy scene in which the black anc white compositions gives you a sense of depression and sadness.
-Chris DeFalco
ReplyDeleteAs a whole these pictures show the struggles families went through and the little that they had. The first image really shows the facial expression of the women, a very depressed and worried look. The below images bring to perspective that they did not have a lot, a few chests and a tarp. I agree with Angel that the black and white composition gives you a better feel for the emotion in the photos.
-Sonya Firer
ReplyDeleteThe first picture is a dark and sad picture. The woman has two kids and instead of smiling and laughing like litttle kids usually are, they are leaning on their mothers shoulders maybe crying? This shows how hard it was for families at the time. Same with the bottom two pictures. No on is smiling. You can feel how they felt by looking at these pictures. All they basiclly had was eachother. These photos definitely captured the emotion and darkness of the time.
~Jess Mooney
ReplyDeleteThe first picture always hit home with me, because the emotions on the woman's face are so profound and strong. I find it difficult to look anywhere else in the photo other than her eyes. I also think that what Sonya said about her kids leaning against her like that is important. Sometimes when something very bad is going on for a family, young kids can still be somewhat innocent, or manage to have fun and play since they may not completely understand. This shows that the kids do understand the situation they're in. They may also be trying to comfort their mother, because they realize how hopeless she feels.
- Krystal Gold
ReplyDeleteThe first picture, the migrant woman's face appears to be in a state of worry with her down turned eyes and pursed lips.The children, who shy away from the camera, represent to me that they recognize their present, difficult, and impoverished situation. The photographer in the first photo seemed to have focused in on the family, to allow the viewer to sense their tumultuous emotions. In the second photo however, you are able to see the environment surrounding the family. The land looks destitute and the tent they are staying in shows, in my opinion, the severity of the Depression. The barren land could represent the area that they are living in, maybe out west. During that time period, if I am not mistaken, states such as Arizona and Nevada were unable to produce adequate crops due to the "Dust Bowl" and it caused families to live in extreme poverty.
The first photo shows alot of emotion. The women looks worried and stressed. The childern leaning on her,dont look like happy children.they seem tired and sad. But the other two photos also show alot of emotion and details about what was happening during that time. It shows me a depressed time in history. With the looks on the their faces you feel their struggle.
ReplyDelete