Dorothea Lange’s iconic “Migrant Mother” photograph is often used to illustrate the toll of the Great Depression, but many neglect to examine the photograph as historical evidence. This lesson asks students to think carefully about the strengths and weaknesses of the photo as evidence of the conditions facing migrant workers during the Great Depression.
Image: Photograph of mother of seven children who worked as a pea picker taken in Nipomo, California, by Dorothea Lange in 1936. From the Library of Congress.
