/WOMAN'SWORI J°' An AnalysisOf DorotheaLange'sPhotographyCareer In Conflict With FamilyLife by CHERYLMAY B.A., Universityof Missouri, KansasCity, 1974 AMASTER'STHESIS submitted inpartial fulfillmentof the requirementsfor thedegree MASTEROFSCIENCE Department of JournalismandMassCommunications KANSASSTATEUNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas 1985 Approvedby: M im iluy\rWJI Ma/orpt'ofessor ID ski,- TABLEOFCONTENTS (\\\ A115D2 bMSlbb LISTOFPHOTOGRAPHS 1 iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS '.1 v ChapteSrignifiI.cancIeNTORfODTUhCeTIOStNudy 1 TLhaengeW'osmanCo'nstrRiobluetion toDocumentaryPhotography Chapter II. DESCRIPTIONOFTHEMAJORSOURCESFOR THESTUDY 13 Introduction Explanation Chapter III. FORCESTHATSHAPEDTHELIFEANDPHOTOGRAPHIC APPROACHOFDOROTHEALANGEASFOUND INTHELITERATURE 16 Unpublished Studies Published Studies Lange'sBackground Li-faAsAnOutsider PhotographicBeginnings ToSeeTheWorld Portrait Studio MarriageToMaynardDixon WLoamnagne''s5WCoormkpassion—Was It AFeminineTrait? LangeA "People" Photographer DepressionEconomies Awakening Social Consciousness Taking PhotographyToTheStreets Meeting Taylor MigrantMother Roosevelt'sReforms TDhievorFScAe—FCroomnflMiacytnsardAmiDdixoPnroductivity TheGrapesof Wrath ATnheAmFeirnailcanCoEnxfoldiucst—Career VersusFamily Chapter IV. FAMILYLIFECONFLICTSWITHCAREER ASMENTIONED INORALHISTORIES 61 LIanntgroed'usctPeiornsonality FTahmeilFyirsRtelaMtairornisahgiep—sDixon Dixon'sSketching Trips Boarding TheChildren CONTINUED Conflict BetweenFamilyandPhotography ChildCare TimeFor Photography LangeTheCompassionate Getting Involved With TheSubject Lange'sHandicap Social Issues Important Working To "TheLastDitch" On Being An Artist Conclusions Afterword BIBLIOGRAPHY 102 LISTOFPHQTDBRAPHS <1) "WomanOf TheTexasPanhandle," MigratoryLaborer'swifewith 9 threechildren, nearChildress, Texas, June 1938 <2> TomCollins, manager of FSA'sArvinmigratoryfarmworkers' 37 camp, withadroughtrefugeefamily, Kern County, California, November 1936 (3) "MigrantMother," destitute inpeapickerscamp, Nipomo, 40 California, March 1936 (4) Thewindshield of amigratoryagricultural laborer'scar, in 46 asquatter'scampnear Sacramento, California, November 1936 (5) "Ditched, Stall(3d, andStranded," ascropped byLange, San 51 JoaquinValley, California, 1936. (6) Peopleliving in miserablepoverty, ElmBrove, Oklahoma, August 1936 (7) Familywalkingonhighway, fivechildren. Started from 81 Idabel, Oklahoma, bound for Krebs, Oklahoma, June 1938 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thisdescriptivestudycould not havebeenwritten withoutthemagnificentoral historyinterviewsconductedby SuzanneReissof TheBancroft Libraryat theUniversityof California, Berkeley. Special thankstoElizabeth Eshleman of TheBancroft Librarywhowent out of her waytohelp me obtaincopiesof theLangeand Taylor oral histories. Alsohelpful wereLorettaGargan and ThereseHeymanof TheOaklandMuseum. Theyprovided working space, encouragement, and accesstoall thevast material that comprisestheLangeCollection. commitIteael,soJiampprMeocrriiast,etChaerolhelOpukraondpsaundppoBrotbpBroontvriadgeedr.bymTyheir guidance, constructivecriticisms, and challenging questions choeullpdedpumteitontodoitm.ybeston aproject thatdeserved thebest I AgnesILyomwaenaLiltahrggoew.debtDestpoitmeyhlaavtienggrahanddmovtehreyr,litStalreaformal education, she loved learning, and impressed upon methe importanceof an education. Shetaughtmethat adesireto learn ismoreimportant than theneighborhoodwhereyougrow up. Shewas asurvivor awoman whowasstrong becauseshe rhcaaodinssicnnoigouosmtenhee—rssIcwhwaohisecnen.ostheSqhudeiietdewastawto4.7agewhSeh8n0e.wsahsesttoiolklonraitshiengtasmkyof suppoMrytivheusbaanndd,wonGdareyr,fulandthmryougsohno,utJ—arseod,muchhavesobetehnatthis is theirproject aswell asmine. I'msurethat either of them couldgivealectureonLangewithnotrouble. —Cheryl May Chapter I. Introduction thefiPresotpleoneoft[ednocutemlelntamreyI was npohnosteongsrea.pherWh]e.n..ytohuat'r'esin a thingyoufindtherewere peoplethereahundred years haagod!didBnu'tttshetemimfpruolmseantyhoanteI else. —Lange Langewasright—shewasn'tthefirstdocumentary photographer MathewBradyandLewisHineprecededher. But shebroughtdocumentaryphotographytonewheights. Sheused herphotographiceyeand hercompassion for her subjectsto drawAmerica'sattentiontothepoor andforgotten. This descriptivestudywill bean attempt toexploreDorothea Langeasoneof America'sforemostwomenphotographers. Shebrought aboutsocial changethrough herphotographs. DorotheaLangewasagiant amongphotographers—her images had influenceon political decisionsaswell ason individual feelingsandperceptions. Asamember of theFSAphotography staff, shewas in companywith top photographic talent. Excellent photographyabounded at theFSA, yet her photographsstood out fromtheothers. Her contributionstophotojournalismand todocumentary photographywereenormous. BecauseLange'sworkhadsuch aprofound effect on Americansociety, it behoovesustolearn asmuch aboutthis outstanding individual aspossible. Althoughmuch hasbeen written about her, oneareain particular hasbeen left unexplored. Wedonot haveaclear understandingof howLangecombined aspectacular career in photographywith apersonallysatisfyingfamily life. It ishoped that thisnewand unexploredareaof commentarybyLangeand bypersonsclosetoher will contributeto insight andunderstandingof Langeand her uniquetalentsand totheempathetic approach topeopleand photographythatpervadesher work. Sheset thestandardfor documentaryphotographers, both maleandfemale, whohave followedher through theyears. Langewouldbeimportant andworthyof studyasan outstandingcareer woman, asaphotographer, or asan individual for her societal accomplishmentsduringthe Depressionand afterwards. Yet all theseachievementswere accomplishedbyone individual, making her even more important asafigurefor studyand examination. Thisdescriptivestudy iswritten asahelpful addition tothe informationavailableon Langeandasacontribution tothehistoryof women'sroles in alternativeprofessionsas wel1. ThisthesisexaminesDorotheaLange'scareer in photography. It differsfromother studiesof Lange inthat it -focusesonhowherphotographywasaffectedbyher womanhood. Wastheprofession moredifficult for herbecause of her se>c? Didphotographyinterferewith her homeand familylife? Conversely, didher family life interferewith herphotography? Wassheamorecompassionateobserver becauseshewasawoman? Although much hasbeenwritten about Lange'shistoryas aphotographer, nostudieshavedealt exclusivelywith her position asawoman in thispredominantlymalefield. This isan important areaof Lange'shistorythat hasbeen touched on briefly, butnot examined in depth in anyof themany popular and scholarlyworksthat deal with her lifeandwork. Significanceof theStudy—LangeasaModern RoleModel Astudyof DorotheaLange'sphotographyc:Areer is particularlyappropriatewith thewomen'smovement encouraging women toexploreeveryavailableopportunityto enrichtheir lives. Manywomen in our societywant acareer but donot want to foregothetraditional roleof wifeand mother. Although women todaymaybelievethat combining ^ar^tsr and family isa newchallenge, examiningLange's lifeshowsthat it isnot. Thisthesiswill showhowonewoman, DorotheaLange, metthe challengeand combined an outstanding career with afamily lifethatbrought her satisfaction. In the 1930s, such a combination wasconsidered avant garde. 3 Studying howagreat photographer combined thesediverse areasof her lifemayencourageother women whowould make themostof their talents. Byexamining Lange's lifeand career, women can beencouraged byarolemodel whosucceeded against difficult odds inmaintainingthefamilythat she desired and thecareer that sheneeded. TheWoman'sRole ThisstudyexaminesLange'sposition asawoman artist-photographer, including thefactorsthat made it especiallydifficult for her asawoman. Shesaid that her position varied fromthat of aman in thesamesituation. "Thewoman'sposition isimmeasurablymorecomplicated. Therearenot verymanyfirst-classwomen producers."(1> YetLangeherself becameoneof thosefewfirst-class women producers. Her effortsweresosuccessful that she carvedapermanentplacefor herself in thehistoryof photography. At thesametime, shemanaged tosustain a family lifefor herself and the familyshetreasured. Langewasawifeand mother whosometimessacrificed car&sr goalsfor her family. At other timesher family life most certainly sufferedbecauseof her photographycareer. Despitesomesimilarities, Langewasawareof vast differencesbetween herself and most other women of her era. Shehad adrive, atrade, and adeveloping social consciousnessthat compelled her tohelp right someof the 4 wrongsthat shesawin her country. Shehadproblemsof her awn, includingalimp that affected her emotionallyand physicallybut that mayhavehelped to increaseher rapport with her subjects. Sheunderstood peoplewith problems. In apopular articlepublishedseveral yearsafter her death, VanDerenCokecalled her "thecompassionaterecorder:" Shemadeintimatecontactwith the victims Cof theDepression] andtherefore wasabletocatch thedeadeningeffects of thedisaster that depopulatedpartof mid-America, aswell astheSouth and Stohuitrhtwieessth..a.veLanegnedu'rsedpicasturiemsporoftantthe referential documentswhich help to defineadark period inour historybut theyar&muchmorethan acollection of factsof social import. Theysirssymbols of theerosionof apeoples' spirit in a timewhen natureturned itsbackon those whotilled thesoil.(2) Just asLangeoffered hopeand inspiration tothe victimsof theDepression through her photos, todayastudy of Lange's lifeand work provides inspiration formodern women whowould enter predominantlymaleprofessions. When Langebeganhercareer asaphotographer in the 1920s, most women in thelabor forcewereservants, teachers, farm laborers, stenographers, and typists. Shenot onlyentered and succeeded inapredominantlymaleprofession, but she usedher uniquevision topoint out social injustices inthis country. Sheevolved intoaphotographer with astrong sense of purpose. Shewasamajor force in thebirth and growthof photojournalism. When she left her studiofor street 5