Dorthea Lange's Migrant Mother

Imperial Valley, CA

I know it's not a book, movie, song, play or building but when I think "American Icon" this is the first image that pops into my mind.

The face of the great depression, Dorthea Lange's Migrant Mother is the most reproduced image of the 20th century. It has been reproduced and reinterpreted many times over - even into images which alter the woman's cultural identity (a drawing in which she is African American or a painting in which she is Latina).

This image ultimately helped bring about great social change and gave a face to those who suffered and were living and dying in poverty in the great depression. The tight composition of the image really makes it iconic in a way that a longer shot never would. Lange made five other images the day she made this photograph but none had the same iconic power of this dramatic, close-up image.

Sally