Documenting the Great Depression

Why the project had significant impact on society?

In my opinion, the main significance and impact on society that the Farm Security Administration-Office Of War Information Collection project was that it enabled photographers to report and document the problems of farmers during the Depression in the United States to the rest of the country. The photographers portrayed the poor conditions of tenant cotton farmers and as well as it gave awareness to the poor conditions of migrant farmers. The photographers were able to tell a story about the daily lives of people and the photographs were meant to be seen by the middle-class audience so that they may sympathize rural Americans and to also show the condition of a human spirit even in the most difficult times. This lead to the right movement towards rural rehabilitation program which has helped poor farmers buy land and until today, it continues to operate under Farmers Home Administration.

What was the role of Migrant Mother photograph in the period or great depression and what is it nowadays?

The role of the 'Migrant Mother' during the Depression was that it created an image of a struggling mother and her family. I would say that it created a picture of a survivor, someone who wouldn't give up, someone who would do anything for her family just to get by. The photographer, Dorothea Lange, describes her first encounter with the 'Migrant Mother' who was named Florence Owens Thompson.

I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions. I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. I did not ask her name or her history. She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed. She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food. There she sat in that lean- to tent with her children huddled around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her, and so she helped me. There was a sort of equality about it. (From: Popular Photography, Feb. 1960).

I believe that nowadays, I think that the role of the Migrant Mother today is still the same, especially for single mothers who are working three jobs and are barely able to make rent. These are the mothers who work for 20 hours and sleep for four. I think it's much different nowadays because some women sell their bodies to make money for their families whether they like it or not because they have no other choice.

Migrant Mother