Chapter 2 - 1

chapter 2

detail questions

01 Art History

Listen to a lecture in an art history class. Fill in the diagram with the information that you hear.

W: Today we’re going to talk about the time in American history when photographs were first used to document an era. I’m talking about the Great Depression.

The Great Depression had a major effect on the development of photography.

I mean, if you look at pictures of people before this time, what do you see? Emotionless portraits of people dressed in their best clothes staring directly at the camera. That all changed during the Depression.

Before we begin, let’s highlight some key points. The Great Depression was the period of massive unemployment from 1929 to around World War II, which was, for the US, around 1941.

All America was affected, but um, rural people were the hardest hit.

At the same time the Depression was happening, farmers in the West were getting hit by a bunch of terrible dust storms that destroyed their crops.

Many were forced to sell everything they had and migrate to California to start a new life. So, that’s that. And, um, how did this era affect photography?

Well, one important change was that the government began to get directly involved in art. See, at the time, the government was trying to create programs that would help farmers. A government program called the Farm Security Administration began to hire photographers to take pictures of what was happening across the nation.

Many photographers decided to take pictures of the migrants as they traveled to California.

Also for the first time, we see photographers taking pictures of people wearing normal clothes and experiencing emotions.

In other words, we start seeing photos of real people going through real situations.

These photos of homeless migrants gave the rest of the nation a glimpse into the difficulties they faced during their arduous journey to California.

The photos would go on to become a lasting icon of the Depression.

Let me give you an example: let’s see if I can get Dorothea Lang’s famous photo entitled Migrant Mother up on the overhead… There it is.

As you can see, the photo shows a migrant mother and her two children on their journey from their farm to California.

Her children lean on her for support as she looks at a point off-camera. Notice how her ragged appearance and simple dress give this photo a strong sense of realism.

The anxiety about her family is written all over her face. She is a perfect representation of the despair migrant farmers felt as they faced a troubled and uncertain future.

OK, touching photo, but what did it and thousands of others like it really do?

They alerted Americans to the harsh reality people like this woman underwent daily during the Depression. Never before had photography been able to depict the reality of people and events as well as in these photos.

Americans from all over the nation could identify with these people through photographs, initiating support for programs that would provide aid to farmers.

These photographs would act as a model for documentary photographs produced in future generations.

1) According to the professor, how were photographs taken during the Great Depression different from earlier photographs?

2) why did the government program hire photographers?

3) According to the professor, who is Dorothea Lounge?