On the unique synthesis of word and image in Dorothea Lange's boldly
political photography, which defined the iconography of WPA and
Depression-era America
Toward the end of her life, Dorothea Lange reflected, "All
photographs--not only those that are so-called 'documentary'... can be
fortified by words." Though Lange's career is widely heralded, this
connection between words and pictures has received scant attention. A
committed social observer, Lange paid sharp attention to the human
condition, conveying stories of everyday life through her photographs
and the voices they drew in. Published in conjunction with the first
major MoMA exhibition of Lange's in 50 years, Dorothea Lange: Words &
Pictures brings fresh attention to iconic works from the collection
together with lesser-known photographs--from early street photography to
projects on the criminal justice system. The work's complex
relationships to words show Lange's interest in art's power to deliver
public awareness and to connect to intimate narratives in the world.
Presenting Lange's work in its diverse contexts--photobooks,
Depression-era government reports, newspapers, magazines, poems--along
with the voices of contemporary artists, writers and thinkers, the book
offers a nuanced understanding of Lange's career, and new means for
considering words and pictures today. An introductory essay by curator
Sarah Hermanson Meister is followed by sections organized according to
"words" from a range of historical contexts: Lange's landmark photobook
An American Exodus, Life and Aperture magazines, an illustrated
guide to minimize racism in jury trials, and many more. These contexts
are punctuated with original contributions from a distinguished group of
contemporary writers, artists and critical thinkers, including Julie
Ault, Kimberly Juanita Brown, River Encalada Bullock, Sam Contis,
Jennifer Greenhill, Lauren Kroiz, Sally Mann, Sandra Phillips, Wendy Red
Star, Christina Sharpe, Rebecca Solnit, Robert Slifkin and Tess Taylor.
Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) operated a successful San Francisco
portrait studio in the 1920s before going on to work with the
Resettlement Administration (and later the Farm Security Administration)
documenting the hardships of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl
migration. During World War II, Lange worked for the US government
photographing the Japanese American internment camps, and California's
wartime economy. Lange's photographs were published widely during her
lifetime. Lange worked closely with curator John Szarkowski on a
retrospective that opened posthumously in 1966 at the Museum of Modern
Art.
