Okie Collection (#2)

Migrant family from Oklahoma in Texas, alongside the road, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant family from Oklahoma in Texas. A family of six alongside the road. An example of how they fall between the relief agencies

Migrant family from Oklahoma in Texas, alongside the road, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant family from Oklahoma in Texas. A family of six alongside the road. An example of how they fall between the relief agencies

Housing for Oklahoma refugees, California, Kern County, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Housing for Oklahoma refugees. California, Kern County

Grandmother from Oklahoma and her pieced quilt, California, Kern County, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Grandmother from Oklahoma and her pieced quilt. California, Kern County

Shack in "Little Oklahoma", California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Shack in "Little Oklahoma." Lots 50 x 150, cost one hundred and twenty to two hundred dollars. Bought on hope and sold on promises. No work since last fall

Freight car converted into house in "Little Oklahoma, " California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Freight car converted into house in "Little Oklahoma, " California

Oklahomans trying to make a new start in California, Near Los Angeles, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oklahomans trying to make a new start in California. Near Los Angeles

Radiator and license of Oklahoma cotton picker's car, San Joaquin Valley, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Radiator and license of Oklahoma cotton picker's car. San Joaquin Valley, near Fresno, California

Tubercular mother from Oklahoma now living in the Kern migrant camp (resettlement), CA, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tubercular mother from Oklahoma now living in the Kern migrant camp (resettlement), California. She receives daily visits from the county nurse

Son of depression refugee from Oklahoma now in California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Son of depression refugee from Oklahoma now in California

Depression refugee family from Tulsa, Oklahoma, arrived in California June 1936, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Depression refugee family from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Arrived in California June 1936. Mother and three half-grown children; no father. "Anybody as wants to work can get by

Grandmother of twenty-two children, from a farm in Oklahoma, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Grandmother of twenty-two children, from a farm in Oklahoma; eighty years old. Now living in camp on the outskirts of Bakersfield, California

Grandmother of twenty-two children, from a farm in Oklahoma, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Grandmother of twenty-two children, from a farm in Oklahoma; eighty years old. Now living in camp on the outskirts of Bakersfield, California

Grandmother of twenty-two children from farm in Oklahoma, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Grandmother of twenty-two children from farm in Oklahoma. Now living in Kern migrant camp, California

Children of migrant Oklahoma family, now living near Fresno, California, picking cotton, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Children of migrant Oklahoma family, now living near Fresno, California, picking cotton

Oklahoma mother of five children, now picking cotton in California, near Fresno, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oklahoma mother of five children, now picking cotton in California, near Fresno

Mother of five children from Oklahoma, now picking cotton in California, near Fresno, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Mother of five children from Oklahoma, now picking cotton in California, near Fresno

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

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

Migrant family from Oklahoma in Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant family from Oklahoma in Texas. A family of six alongside the road. An example of how they fall between the relief agencies

Oklahoma migrant, Texas. 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oklahoma migrant, Texas. An example of how they fall between the relief agencies. The father, aged thirty-five, is an intelligent fellow, a painter by trade

Man living on "Scratch Hill" outside Atoka, Atoka County, Oklahoma, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Man living on "Scratch Hill" outside Atoka, Oklahoma. Atoka County, Oklahoma. "I'm going west because this country's through, there isn't anything here for anyone

Family walking on highway, five children, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Family walking on highway, five children. Started from Idabel, Oklahoma. Bound for Krebs, Oklahoma. Pittsburg County, Oklahoma

People living in miserable poverty, Elm Grove, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
People living in miserable poverty. Elm Grove, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

The home of a family in Oklahoma County, Elm Grove, Oklahoma, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
The home of a family in Oklahoma County. Elm Grove, Oklahoma

People living in miserable poverty, Elm Grove, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
People living in miserable poverty, Elm Grove, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

People living in miserable poverty, Elm Grove, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
People living in miserable poverty, Elm Grove, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

People living in miserable poverty, Elm Grove, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
People living in miserable poverty. Elm Grove, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

On highway no. 1 of the "OK" state near Webbers Falls, Muskogee County, Oklahoma, 1938
On highway no. 1 of the "OK" state near Webbers Falls, Muskogee County, Oklahoma. Seven children and eldest son's family. Father was a blacksmith in Paris, Arkansas

On highway no. 1 of the "OK" state near Webbers Falls, Muskogee County, Oklahoma, 1938
On highway no. 1 of the "OK" state near Webbers Falls, Muskogee County, Oklahoma. Seven children and eldest son's family. Father was a blacksmith in Paris, Arkansas

People living in miserable poverty, Elm Grove, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
People living in miserable poverty. Elm Grove, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

Home on "Scratch Hill, " outside Atoka, Oklahoma, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Home on "Scratch Hill, " outside Atoka, Oklahoma. "I was offered twenty dollars for that house. I pay six dollars rent a year, and have some chickens and a garden"

The key figure in the 1936 presidential campaign, the American farmer, Oklahoma, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
The key figure in the 1936 presidential campaign, the American farmer. Oklahoma

She lives on "Scratch Hill, " outside Atoka, Oklahoma, Atoka County, Oklahoma, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
She lives on "Scratch Hill, " outside Atoka, Oklahoma. Atoka County, Oklahoma

Cotton farmers near Oil City, Carter County, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cotton farmers near Oil City, Oklahoma, day laborers. Carter County, Oklahoma

Relief client near Oil City, Carter County, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Relief client near Oil City, Oklahoma. Oil City is a source of heavy immigration to California. Carter County, Oklahoma

Day laborer near Oil City, Carter County, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Day laborer near Oil City, Oklahoma. Carter County, Oklahoma

Tenant farmer spreading grasshopper bait... 5 miles from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tenant farmer spreading grasshopper bait in his alfalfa field, five miles from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Bound for the wheat harvest, Southwestern Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Bound for the wheat harvest. Southwestern Oklahoma

Children of migrant cotton field workers from Sweetwater, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Children of migrant cotton field workers from Sweetwater, Oklahoma. Eight children in the family. Note the housing. Near Casa Grande project, Arizona

Migrant family from Oklahoma, first occupants of Westley camp, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant family from Oklahoma, first occupants of Westley camp. California

Children from Chickasaw, Oklahoma, in a potato pickers camp near Shafter, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Children from Chickasaw, Oklahoma, in a potato pickers camp near Shafter, California

Oklahoma migratory workers washing in a hot spring in the desert, Imperial Valley, California, 1937
Oklahoma migratory workers washing in a hot spring in the desert. Imperial Valley, California

Migrant children from Oklahoma on California highway, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant children from Oklahoma on California highway

Cotton picker near Firebaugh, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Cotton picker near Firebaugh, California

Oklahoma potato picker's family encamped on the flats near Shafter, California, 1935. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oklahoma potato picker's family encamped on the flats near Shafter, California

Washing facilities for families in migratory pea pickers camp, Imperial Valley, California, 1937
Washing facilities for families in migratory pea pickers camp. Imperial Valley, California. Mostly Oklahomans and Texans

This family...about to be returned to Oklahoma...Neideffer Camp, Imperial Valley, CA, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
This family without food and work about to be returned to Oklahoma by the Relief Administration. They have lost a baby as a result of exposure during the winter

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"Okie: Capturing the Resilience and Struggles of Migrant Workers in 1930s America" In the midst of the Great Depression, Florence Thompson, a 32-year-old mother of seven, found herself at a camp for migrant workers in Nipomo, California. Dorothea Lange's iconic photograph "Migrant Mother" immortalized her strength and determination to provide for her family. Meanwhile, in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, life went on with moments of joy amidst hardship. Square dances brought communities together as they sought solace and connection through music and dance. Russell Lee's photographs captured scenes from these lively gatherings - couples twirling around the dance floor and an orchestra playing during intermission. But not all Okies were able to find respite within their own communities. The cotton strike near Shafter, California forced families from Oklahoma into further uncertainty. Dorothea Lange documented their struggle as they fought for fair working conditions while being uprooted from their homes. Lange also shed light on the harsh realities faced by migratory families living in labor camps across California's Imperial Valley. In Calpatria and Brawley, she photographed children growing up amidst poverty and uncertainty - daughters helping their families survive in FSA labor camps or grandmothers toiling away in pea fields. These images serve as a reminder of both the resilience and vulnerability that defined this era. The Okies' journey was marked by perseverance against adversity - whether it be seeking work thousands of miles away from home or fighting for better treatment amid challenging circumstances. The photographs taken by Dorothea Lange and Russell Lee capture a chapter in American history that should never be forgotten; one that reminds us of the strength found within individuals facing unimaginable challenges. Through these images, we gain insight into the lives led by those labeled "Okies, " shedding light on their struggles but also celebrating their unwavering spirit.