Book Description

One of the most important documentary photographers of our time, Dorothea Lange's revolutionary work chronicled America's struggle with poverty during the Great Depression. Her widely reproduced, classic portrait from the 1940s,"Migrant Mother," is just one of the many unforgettable images found in her stunning oeuvre of documentary works. While there have been other books on Lange's photographs, none exist with the scope and breadth of this monograph, which comes from her archives at the Oakland Museum in California and includes numerous unpublished photographs. ... Read more

Book Description

First published in 1939, An American Exodus is one of the masterpieces of the documentary genre. Produced by incomparable documentary photographer Dorothea Lange with text by her husband, Paul Taylor, An American Exodus was taken in the early 1930s while the couple were working for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) The book documents the rural poverty of the depression-era exodus that brought over 300,000 migrants to California in search of farm work, a westward mass migration driven by economic deprivation as opposed to the Manifest Destiny of 19th century pioneers. This facsimile edition of the original volume reintroduces this sought-after work of art-a pioneering book that was among the first to combine photographs with oral testimony-to a contemporary audience, providing an insight into the struggles of the Depression as well as offering a profound and timeless look at the human condition. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

On the road, Thirties style.
A well printed paperback facsimile of the original 1939 hardback edition of this famous book. The 112 photos, one to a page with a short headline and quote, capture the desperate times thousands of farmers and their families endured in the South and Midwest and their migration to an uncertain future in California. Nearly all of the photos were taken by Dorothea Lange and this includes forty-six that she took for the Farm Security Administration between 1935 and 1938.

In the back of the book there are two essays, one by Sam Stourdze, is an excellent explanation of how Lange and Taylor compiled the book. The sales fell well short of their expectations and Stourdze comments "the rigor of its approach, the verism of its oral testimony and the radicality of its photographs were hardly designed to have mass appeal" Quite right I think, having looked through the book many times I don't think the powerful photos are backed up by adequate captions. All the photos are anonymous, even the ones with people, and surely any reader would want to know who are these folk, what is their story? This information was available because Lange took detailed notes on all her photographic assignments. It's as if the author's thought the only way they could put their point across was in an abstract way and ignore the very human turmoil the photos clearly show. In 1937 photographer Margaret Bourke-White and writer Erskine Caldwell compiled a similar photo book about the living conditions of the desperately poor rural underclass, called 'You Have Seen Their Faces' (reissued as a paperback in 1995) but here the photos and captions blend together better.

'An American Exodus' is a book of remarkable photos and well worth having if you are interested in America during the Depression years. BTW, the book reproduces the back dust jacket of the original and the New York publisher, Reynal & Hitchcock, list other "Vital books of our Time" and for three bucks you could buy 'Mein Kampf' by Adolf Hitler, "The blueprint of the Nazi program by the man who is shaking the world. No American should miss it".

Heart-wrenching vignettes of depression-era refugees
These heart-breaking black & whites were shot while Lange and her husband Paul Taylor were under contract with the Federal WPA and chronicle the exodus of dustbowl refugees of the Great Depression and the anguish of their daily struggles for survival in the 'promised land' of California. Some of these photographs are difficult to view, giving an infinite depth-of-field perspective of the arid, ruined farms and starving families of the midwest hitch-hiking or walking (sometimes barefoot) to find a better life. For it's superb detail, brutal realism, and captured raw emotion, this collection is regarded as one of the most important photographic documentaries published during the 20th century. It is criminal this masterful work has not been reissued in affordable hardback binding. Scholar, amateur photographer, and layman will surely peruse these monumental pages with pleasure for years to come. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

wonderful
A wonderful book showing the people of Ireland from the past. It is my favorite coffee table book ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Visual masterpiece of americana.
Do you want to learn about American History? Do you want your mind and heart expanded? Do you want to be touched, to be moved to tears? Then buy a copy of this marvelous book of Lange's photographs and let your journey begin. She has the amazing ablility to reveal the very essence of her subject matter - the human spirit. Enjoy! ... Read more

Book Description

The most comprehensive collection of the photographer's work ever published.

Dorothea Lange: Photographs of a Lifetime begins with her portraits from the early years, when she was a fashionable studio photographer, and moves into the classic images that established Lange as the preeminent documentary artist of her time: the Depression bread lines and demonstrations, the blighted farms, the migrating farm families, and the makeshift, desolate tent camps. The book concludes with her photographs from the final years, when Lange traveled the globe, finally turning the lens on her children and grandchildren and the familiar objects of her daily life.

In a penetrating critical biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Coles offers an incisive study of Lange's life and work.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beautiful Photographic Collection
This anthology is a well-packaged, heart-warmingly first-person annoted retrospective of Lange's career. Enlighening glimpses into Lange's personal point-of view are offered here, showcasing her stark Depression-era WPA migration shots alongside her later vignettes of the American western plains and western coastal dwellers captured in their every day routines. Therein lies this collection's strength and weakness: while her Americana movement captured a rural slice of America which later mediums still struggle to duplicate, that subject matter still did not match the sheer horror and power of her WPA work, which captured the raw strength of the human spirit during life-threatening crises. The diversity of this collection makes it an essential introductory volume, however.

Photographs of a Lifetime
I had just recently seen a Lange exhibit when I bought this wonderful book. It starts with an essay on Lange by Robert Coles. Then it moves into her photographs and her own words. Her work is beautiful on its own, but to have the photographs and her philosophy side by side is an enriching experience. The photographs fill the entire book so it's a great read and a nice coffee table book. The images are primarily from her depression photos, but there are also pictures from around the world, her family and her early portraits. I also like that they included photographs of her and her oak trees. Dorothea Lange was a woman with such a unique perspective on life. I feel that this book does an excellent job of presenting her work. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Dignity captured.
A wonderful book of eighty-five, beautifully printed, Dorothea Lange photos. I think the best ones are forty-seven from the thirties when Lange was part of a small group of photographers employed by the Government to record the plight of the rural poor. Their output (now in the Library of Congress and accessible to all) was the most complete photographic record of a nation ever undertaken. Lange and Walker Evans were, depending on your point of view, the most talented of this group and you can see why by looking at her photos in this book. Keith Davis says in the introduction... "Her photographs are at once bluntly factual and deeply sympathetic. While Lange recorded innumerable scenes of destitution, she consistently evoked the resilience, faith and determination of her subjects". I think her point-of-view comes across in all the work shown in this book. After the thirties the remaining photos cover her work up to 1958.

All the photos have dated captions and many have background information about what is being shown plus the thoughts of Lange and her subjects. The back of the book has a chronology, bibliography and print source. This is a lovely record of her photographic work but if you want to know more, these two books take a comprehensive look at her life, 'Dorothea Lange: American Photographs' by Therese Heyman, Sandra Phillips and John Szakowski and 'Dorothea Lange: Photographs of a Lifetime' by Robert Coles.

BTW, this is the second book of American images I have reviewed in the last few days, the other one was a selection of photos taken over a number of years by British photographer Nick Waplington of a small town in New Mexico called Truth or Consequences (also the books title) but what a contrast, the Lange book has captions and other information, the photographer's thoughts, chronology, bibliography, sources while Waplington's book has none of this, not even page numbers! It raises questions (least to me) about how publishers regard their readers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very Informative
This book is very informative and filled with good solid facts. Any Dorthea Lange fan can appreciate this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) is one of the most famous documentary photographers of all time. In 1935, tired of studio portraiture, she began working for the Farm Security Administration and created many of the images that define the Depression in the popular imagination.

Other artists in this series include: Eugene Atget, Mathew Brady, Wynn Bullock, Julia Margaret Cameron, Joan Fontcuberta, David Goldblatt, Nan Goldin, Graciela Iturbide, Andre Kertesz, Mary Ellen Mark, Joel Meyerowitz, Boris Mikhailov, Lisette Model, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Eadweard Muybridge, Eugene Richards, W. Eugene Smith, Shomei Tomatsu, Joel-Peter Witkin ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Visually beautiful
Fascinating book about the famous photographer. A woman before her time in many ways. This is an honest account of what many who worked with her, lived with her and loved her thought OF her. The pictorial story of American life will capture your attention.

Succinct. Beautiful.
This book is put together in a way that allows readers to meet Dorothea Lange on different levels. On a personal level through family (or "just like" family) members, friends, and through Ms. Lange's own words (wonderfully used as text to complement her photographs). On a professional level, an interview with one of Ms. Lange's fellow photographers is included, along with chapter-long essays by those who have studied her work and life. I feel the strengths of this book are the organization, essays by those who knew Ms. Lange personally, and Ms. Lange's words.

The photographs are direct, honest and beautiful. Ms. Lange, her life, and words at times tough and unyielding, yet are luminous, and always "true". ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Print, published by RC Publications, Inc. on May 1, 1997. The length of the article is 1100 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Dorothea Lange: Photograph of a Lifetime. (book reviews)
Author: Harold Martin
Publication: Print (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 1997
Publisher: RC Publications, Inc.
Volume: v51Issue: n3Page: p28J(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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