Comparing Two Depression Period Photos

In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting two depression era photographs, Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California and Margaret Bourke¬-White’s At the Time of the Louisville Flood. Both tell a story for what was happening in America during the time of the depression, while also telling personal stories. Dorothea Lange’s photograph, Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, shows a mother with three of her children. You can see the mother is worried and seem to be stressed. The mother and the three children are all dirty and wearing torn clothing. Their hair is disheveled and two children are leaning on her shoulder while she cradles a bay in her arm. It really shows how hard families had it during the depression. While this was taken at a migrant camp in Nipomo, California, the family did not actually live at this migrant camp. They were just waiting there while their car was being fixed. This is an example of documentary photography. This photo tells the story not only of this specific family, but a story of many families during the depression trying to make it through. …show more content…
This photo shows about 18 people standing in front of a billboard, which states, “World’s Highest Standard of Living, There’s no way like the American way”. This billboard shows a family of four with a dog driving down a street smiling. This is very polarizing because you see this happy family and claiming that America is the highest standard of living, when you have hundreds of people who lost everything or have very little. These people are standing in some sort of line, you could assume to receive some sort of help after the flooding. Some people have nothing, while some have small bags or baskets. This photo is also a documentary photograph and could also be very