Dorothea Lange "Migrant Cotton Picker" Black & White, 1940

Dorothea Lange "Migrant Cotton Picker" Black & White, 1940


This photograph was taken during the Great Dust Bowl. "The impact of the picture was based on the image showing the strength and need of migrant workers." She photographed the poor and the starved and the hardworking American. She was the one who brought these issues to the country's attention. She photographed most of the migrant workers in the Midwest during this time period, trying to shed light on their true 
condition. 

This photograph made me feel empathy toward this man. His hands are extremely worn, and it reminds me of my father's hands. He was born two years after this photograph was taken, so it makes me wonder if that's how his father's hands looked and if this was the kind of life they lived. I liked that his hand is halfway blocking the view of his face. It makes me wonder if he was trying to hide from the camera when this photo was taken. I also like the way it's composed. It really only shows his hand and face. The rest is sort of cut off, and it makes me wonder what else could have been going on there.