Dorothea Lange, Photographer Essay, Research Paper

Dorothea Lange

Dorothea Lange was born in 1895 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Her

family had come from Germany to the United States as immigrants. When

Dorothea was seven years old, she suffered from polio. In 1907, her father

left her family. And soon, her mother became an alcoholic. Dorothea was

lonely in high school until she began studying photography.

At the age of twenty-three, Dorothea left home, and in 1918, began an

around the world trip. She taught Ron Partridge photography and people

started calling him her assistant. Ron Partridge recalls that she was

very determined not to stop her work.

Dorothea Lange is best known for her work during the Great

Depression. Other things she photographed were children, ships, the

Depression, and many others. She also photographed Mormon communities.

During her years in photography, she traveled to Asia, South America,

Egypt, and India.

She married Maynard Dixon in 1920. Her marriage lasted fifteen

years and in 1935 she divorced him. However, while on assignment in New

Mexico, she remarried to Paul Taylor.

In 1939, she began her first major project. Later, she worked for the

Farm Security Administration. However, much conflict arose and in 1940

she was dismissed for the last time.

In the 1950 s and 60 s Dorotheas s husband, Paul, spent six months

photographing developing countries and Asia. Dorothea began having

reoccurring ulcers. She was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. When

she was in the Near East she caught malaria.

Ansel Adams described her as a difficult woman who was

opinionated, impatient, and willful. A woman who defied the social gender

expectations. Her last project was entitled, Dorothea Lange Looks at the

American Country Woman.

Dorothea can definitely be described as someone who stood up for

women and knew that women could do anything anyone else could do.

Dorothea once said, We need to be reminded these days about what women

have been and can be, it s a question of their place in society. The really

deep and fundamental place in society.

On October 11, 1965, Dorothea Lange died at the age of seventy.