Dorothea Lange Collection

Mrs. Cleaver is raising five sons on new farm, Malheur County, Oregon, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Mrs. Cleaver is raising five sons on new farm. Malheur County, Oregon

George Cleaver who is trying to develop 177 acres of raw land, Malheur County, Oregon, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
George Cleaver who is trying to develop 177 acres of raw land. He has five sons. Malheur County, Oregon

"Pit and tools for rent--work on your own", U. S. 99, Fresno County, California, 1939
U.S. 99. Fresno County. " Pit and tools for rent--work on your own." California. [ Garage; Electric Welding ]

Grain elevator along railroad yard, North Platte, Nebraska, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Grain elevator along railroad yard. North Platte, Nebraska. [Sign: T.B. Hord Grain Co. Coal Hay and Feed. Union Pacific steam locomotive]

Filipinos cutting lettuce, near Westmorland, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near Westmorland. Filipinos cutting lettuce. California

Farm woman, Tenant Purchase applicant, Stockton, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farm woman. Stockton, California. Tenant Purchase applicant

Horse and wagon is still a common means of transportation... Southeast Missouri Farms, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Horse and wagon is still a common means of transportation. Family coming from town on a Saturday afternoon. Southeast Missouri Farms

Large-scale pea fields, near San Juan Bautista, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near San Juan Bautista, California. Large-scale pea fields

Itinerant worker on U.S. 101 near San Luis Obispo, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
On U.S. 101 near San Luis Obispo, California. Itinerant worker. Not the old "Bindle-Stiff" type

Cotton pickers emptying sacks, Kern County, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Kern County, California. Cotton pickers emptying sacks at eleven a.m. Stopped from further work for the day by rain

Warehouse used as distributing office for FSA relief grants, Bakersfield, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Warehouse used as distributing office for Farm Security Administration (FSA) relief grants of commodities to destitute farm labor families. Bakersfield, California

Wife of Farm Security Administration rural rehabilitation client, Tulare County, California, 1938
Wife of Farm Security Administration rural rehabilitation client. Tulare County, California

Main street storefront, Chickasaw, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Main street storefront, Chickasaw, Oklahoma. This is a region from which hundreds of farm families have fled to the west. ['Loans - We Buy & Sell Clothing Luggage Guns etc - Used Clothing']

Well, Center County, Oklahoma, belonging to tenant farmer, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Well, Center County, Oklahoma, belonging to tenant farmer

Corn, Washington County, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Corn. Washington County, Mississippi

Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait...Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait for use on their farms to control the pest. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Home of a dust bowl refugee in California, Imperial County, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Home of a dust bowl refugee in California. Imperial County

Replanting chili plants on a Japanese-owned ranch, desert agriculture, Imperial Valley, CA, 1937
Desert agriculture. Brushed chili field. Replanting chili plants on a Japanese-owned ranch. Imperial Valley, California

Replanting chili plants on a Japanese-owned ranch, desert agriculture, Imperial Valley, CA, 1937
Desert agriculture. Brushed chili field. Replanting chili plants on a Japanese-owned ranch. Imperial Valley, California

Capped cantaloupe, Imperial Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Capped cantaloupe. Imperial Valley, California

Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas. The people have left their home and connections in South Texas, and hope to reach the Arkansas Delta for work in the cotton fields. Penniless people

Cradling wheat near Sperryville, Virginia, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cradling wheat near Sperryville, Virginia. A hand binder follows the mower. These men had never heard of a combine harvester. "Sure would like to see that." Their father used a reap hook

Cherry pickers near Millville, New Jersey, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cherry pickers near Millville, New Jersey. The cherry crop is harvested by local families, men, women and children

Once a Missouri farmer, now a migratory farm laborer on the Pacific Coast, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Once a Missouri farmer, now a migratory farm laborer on the Pacific Coast. California

Filipinos cutting lettuce, near Westmorland, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near Westmorland. Filipinos cutting lettuce. California

Farm Security Administration rural rehabilitation client, Tulare County, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farm Security Administration rural rehabilitation client, Tulare County, California, consulting with county supervisor. He and his family of seven were on relief

Tractors on Lake Dick project, Arkansas, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tractors on Lake Dick project, Arkansas

Sharecropper family near Hazlehurst, Georgia, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Sharecropper family near Hazlehurst, Georgia

Careyville, northern Florida, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Careyville, northern Florida. The mill closed down January 1, 1937 and the occupants of these houses were dispersed

Migrants tents...along the right of way of the southern pacific, near Fresno, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near Fresno, California. Migrants tents are a common sight along the right of way of the Southern Pacific. [Signs: Railroad Crossing, End of Double Track']

Drought refugees stopped along the highway near Lordsburg, New Mexico, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Drought refugees stopped along the highway near Lordsburg, New Mexico

Car of drought refugee on edge of carrot field in the Coachella Valley, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Car of drought refugee on edge of carrot field in the Coachella Valley. California

Migrant family on U.S. Highway 99 between Bakersfield and Famoso, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant family on U.S. Highway 99 between Bakersfield and Famoso, California. Note: the photographer passed twenty-eight cars of this type while driving thirty-five miles between 9:00 and 9

Cotton picking in south Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cotton picking in south Texas

Hoe culture in the South, Near Eutaw, Alabama, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Hoe culture in the South. Near Eutaw, Alabama

The model house nears completion, Hightstown, New Jersey, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Hightstown, New Jersey. The model house nears completion. Note landscaping

Citrus workers in winter quarters, near Lindsay, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Near Lindsay, California. Citrus workers in winter quarters

Oklahoma City state capitol, literally built on oil, Oklahoma, 1938. Creators: Dorothea Lange, Constance Whitney Warren
Oklahoma City state capitol, literally built on oil. Oklahoma. [Bronze sculpture: Tribute To Range Riders by Constance Whitney Warren]

Tenant Purchase applicants, Stockton, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tenant Purchase applicants. Stockton, California

Houses inhabited by Mexican citrus workers, Lindsay, Tulare County, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Lindsay, California. Houses inhabited by Mexican citrus workers. (Tulare County)

Cotton sharecropper farm, Texas, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cotton sharecropper farm, Texas

Outside FSA "grant" office during cotton pickers strike, Bakersfield, California, 1938
Bakersfield, California. Outside Farm Security Administration (FSA) "grant" office during cotton pickers strike

Sorting and stringing the "golden leaf" at the tobacco barn, near Hartsville, South Carolina, 1938
Near Hartsville, South Carolina, sorting and stringing the "golden leaf" at the tobacco barn, preparatory to curing. Note sled by which tobacco is brought to the barn from the field

Potato field, Hightstown, New Jersey, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Potato field, where the farm members of this resettled group have the second best crop in the three leading potato counties, according to estimates of the New Jersey Agricultural State College

Family of rural rehabilitation client, Tulare County, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Family of rural rehabilitation client. Tulare County, California

Migrant cotton pickers, Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant cotton pickers. Texas

Day laborers hoeing cottonn, near Corsicana, Texas, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Day laborers hoeing cotton. Many tenant farmers become day laborers on mechanized farms. Near Corsicana, Texas

The riding boss, Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
The riding boss. Aldridge Plantation, Mississippi

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"Dorothea Lange: Capturing the Struggles and Resilience of American Farmers" Dorothea Lange, a renowned documentary photographer, dedicated her lens to capturing the realities of American farmers during the Great Depression. In 1939, she ventured into Malheur County, Oregon where she encountered Mrs. Cleaver tirelessly raising her five sons on their new farm. Through Lange's lens, we witness the determination etched on Mrs. Cleaver's face as she navigates the challenges of rural life. Lange also turned her attention to George Cleaver, who was attempting to develop 177 acres of raw land in Malheur County. His unwavering spirit shines through in his every move captured by Lange's camera - a testament to his ambition and perseverance. Traveling across states, Lange found herself in Person County, North Carolina where she stumbled upon a rail fence with poor barbed wire fencing in the foreground. This image serves as a stark reminder of the hardships faced by farmers trying to protect their livelihoods amidst economic turmoil. In another poignant photograph from 1939, possibly taken at a hop pickers camp, Lange captures an intimate glimpse into the lives of migrant workers striving for survival during challenging times. Lange also documented moments that showcased unity among farmers such as when eight cooperating farmers drove loaded wagons to silos in Yamhill County, Oregon. These images depict strength in numbers and exemplify how communities came together during times of adversity. From cutting corn on Miller Farm near West Carlton to loading wagons with corn in Yamhill County - these photographs reveal not only hard work but also hope for better days ahead. Venturing further westward into Klamath County, Oregon; Lange discovered potato cellars that served as lifelines for families struggling against harsh conditions. These structures symbolize resilience and resourcefulness amidst scarcity.