“In A Camp of Migratory Pea Pickers”

Looking at the image “In a camp of migratory pea pickers” by Dorothea Lange my first thought and feeling was sadness. This photo was taken in 1936 and was often the time of drought for migration. You can see the sadness in her eyes while her and her three children are sitting on the road most likely starving. The woman, who is more than likely the mother, is looking out into a daze with filthy hands and raggedy clothes on herself and her children. I believe that in this photo the family would be waiting for the father (the man and provider of the house) to be bringing back food. This piece is very moving and allows us to feel compassionate not only towards this family, but other families that were also going through this hardship during this time period.

The focal point of this piece is the face of the mother, then surrounding with the children next to her with their faces turned around. You notice that they are small children, like toddlers, and then it takes a moment to see the baby in her arm. Once you see the picture as a whole you feel the heartache and agony that this whole family is encountering on the streets. The photo being black and white has little hue but much value, and since your eyes are drawn directly to the mother at first glance that is meaning that she has the most value and the most saturation concentrated on her.

I believe that the more individuals who encountered this photo the more awareness we could bring to the topic. Starvation was not just a problem in 1936 but is also an ongoing problem still happening today. If you feel the desire to help out there is more than one way to do so, but to start here is a link listed below for the World Food Programme:

https://give.wfp.org/?step=country&utm_source=2013-wfp-billion&utm_campaign=2013-wfp-billion&utm_medium=legacy