Dorothea Lange - "Migrant Mother"

However the photo has become the topic of some controversy, and as well as an icon of the times it represents, is also an emblem of some problems and issues that can arise with the taking, interpretation and usage of photographs. It is subtly controversial I would say.

It was taken as the last shot in a series of 6 shot by Dorothea Lange in 1936 as part of a survey commissioned by the FSA to document and highlight the plight of poor farm workers during the depression of the 1930's. You can see the full sequence here. See how this photograph differs from from the preceding ones. It is quite strikingly composed in comparison, and the effect, for me at least, is greatly changed. Enhanced? Manipulated? I don't know, and Lange's own comments don't suggest it was wilfully composed to produce a particular effect. And what if it was? The whole purpose of the series was to exercise public opinion, and sympathy. It was successful - but how about the use of the subjects? As you might expect, many years later journalism tracked down the woman, Florence Thompson, and asked here what she thought about it all. I won't go into that here - but a web search of this topic will provide you with hours of happy armchair debate.

Basically, the controversy surrounds photography and propaganda, the use and exploitation of subjects, and the distortion of peoples awareness of what happens in the world. Now I said earlier that I think this controversy, inherent in a lot of photography, is quite subtle in this case, but instructive nonetheless. And I don't mind the word propaganda because although it is usually thought of in a negative sense, it can also be said to be useful in furthering worthy ends. End justifying means?

Although Sontag comes in for some criticism by singling out this photo in one of her essays in "On Photography" she has some valid points relating to all of this. She dislikes that photography tends to beautify everything it lays it's hands on, and thus levels our view of the world. You can see what she means in this photo. I personally find that the preceding photos say more to me about the circumstances because I don't get distracted by thinking "what a beautiful photo". On the subject of propaganda and awareness, she also makes the point (not sure if she was the first to do so) that our perceptions of the Vietnam war are greatly influenced by the proliferation of images, and those of the Soviet Gulag by the almost complete absence of any photographs. Made me think.