“Migrant Mother”: the Depression Era Madonna

In the 1930s, the American photography has been enriched by the works of the group of documentary photographers in which Dorothea Lange seemed to play the most significant role. Lange’s portrait of a woman holding a baby and being surrounded by two of her other children, called the Migrant Mother,...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ivana Marvánová
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Pardubice 2010-12-01
Series:American and British Studies Annual
Subjects:
Online Access:https://absa.upce.cz/index.php/absa/article/view/2180
_version_ 1797832557291634688
author Ivana Marvánová
author_facet Ivana Marvánová
author_sort Ivana Marvánová
collection DOAJ
description In the 1930s, the American photography has been enriched by the works of the group of documentary photographers in which Dorothea Lange seemed to play the most significant role. Lange’s portrait of a woman holding a baby and being surrounded by two of her other children, called the Migrant Mother, immediately exceeded boundaries of common picture and became more than an icon of one unhappy decade. The photograph’s unusual composition and Lange’s ability to catch inconveniences such as sorrow, destitution, or starvation on the one side, together with hope, confidence, and solidarity on the other side, forced many art critics to analyze the photograph and discuss its hidden meanings. One of such image’s explanations compares it to the portrayal of Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. The article tries to explain this biblical interpretation, as well as to introduce into the story of a creation of one of the best known photograph of the twentieth century.    
first_indexed 2024-04-09T14:09:45Z
format Article
id doaj.art-59fbc87d85884dc3a3bbc3b9a5e6ba08
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1803-6058
2788-2233
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-09T14:09:45Z
publishDate 2010-12-01
publisher University of Pardubice
record_format Article
series American and British Studies Annual
spelling doaj.art-59fbc87d85884dc3a3bbc3b9a5e6ba082023-05-06T14:00:48ZengUniversity of PardubiceAmerican and British Studies Annual1803-60582788-22332010-12-013“Migrant Mother”: the Depression Era MadonnaIvana Marvánová0University of Pardubice In the 1930s, the American photography has been enriched by the works of the group of documentary photographers in which Dorothea Lange seemed to play the most significant role. Lange’s portrait of a woman holding a baby and being surrounded by two of her other children, called the Migrant Mother, immediately exceeded boundaries of common picture and became more than an icon of one unhappy decade. The photograph’s unusual composition and Lange’s ability to catch inconveniences such as sorrow, destitution, or starvation on the one side, together with hope, confidence, and solidarity on the other side, forced many art critics to analyze the photograph and discuss its hidden meanings. One of such image’s explanations compares it to the portrayal of Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. The article tries to explain this biblical interpretation, as well as to introduce into the story of a creation of one of the best known photograph of the twentieth century.     https://absa.upce.cz/index.php/absa/article/view/2180American documentary photographyDepression eraDorothea LangeMigrant Mothericon
spellingShingle Ivana Marvánová
“Migrant Mother”: the Depression Era Madonna
American and British Studies Annual
American documentary photography
Depression era
Dorothea Lange
Migrant Mother
icon
title “Migrant Mother”: the Depression Era Madonna
title_full “Migrant Mother”: the Depression Era Madonna
title_fullStr “Migrant Mother”: the Depression Era Madonna
title_full_unstemmed “Migrant Mother”: the Depression Era Madonna
title_short “Migrant Mother”: the Depression Era Madonna
title_sort migrant mother the depression era madonna
topic American documentary photography
Depression era
Dorothea Lange
Migrant Mother
icon
url https://absa.upce.cz/index.php/absa/article/view/2180
work_keys_str_mv AT ivanamarvanova migrantmotherthedepressioneramadonna