Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeing

Frist Museum
March 15–May 27, 2019

Dorothea Lange (1895–1965) is recognized as one of the most important photographers of the twentieth century, and her insightful and compassionate work has exerted a profound influence on the development of modern documentary photography. With hardship and human suffering as a consistent theme throughout her career, Lange created arresting portraits with the aim of sparking reform.


This is the first exhibition to examine her work through the lens of social and political activism, presenting iconic photographs from the Great Depression, the grim conditions of incarcerated Japanese Americans during World War II, and inequity in our judicial system in the 1950s. The exhibition encompasses 300 objects, including 130 vintage and modern photographs, proof sheets, letters, a video, and other personal memorabilia.

Organized by the Oakland Museum of California

Dorothea Lange,

Crossroads General Store, circa 1938. © The Dorothea Lange

Collection, the Oakland Museum of California, City of Oakland. Gift of Paul

S. Taylor.

 

Kern Co. California—Lettuce Strike1938
Dorothea Lange,

Last West, Gas Station, Kern County, California

, 1938. © The Dorothea Lange Collection, the

Oakland Museum of California, City of Oakland. Gift of

Paul S. Taylor.

 

Migrant Mother

Dorothea Lange,

Migrant Mother, Nipomo, 1936

. The Dorothea Lange Collection, the

Oakland Museum of California, City of Oakland. Gift of Paul S. Taylor.

One Nation Indivisible

Dorothea Lange,

Pledge of Allegiance

, 1942. © The Dorothea

Lange Collection, the

Oakland Museum of California, City of Oakland. Gift of Paul S. Taylor.

The Road West

Dorothea Lange,

The Road West, New Mexico, 1938. © The Dorothea Lange Collection,

the Oakland Museum of California, City of Oakland. Gift of Paul S.Taylor.

Shipyard Worker

Dorothea Lange,

Shipyard Worker, Richmond California,

circa 1943. © The Dorothea Lange Collection, the Oakland Museum of California, City of Oakland. Gift of Paul S.

Taylor.

White Angel Bread Line

Dorothea Lange,

White Angel  Bread Line, San Francisco, 1933.

© The Dorothea Lange

Collection, the Oakland Museum of California, City of Oakland. Gift of Paul S. Taylor.

Young Man at Manzanar

Dorothea Lange,

Young Man at Manzanar Relocation Center, 1942. Collection of the

Oakland Museum of California, Gift of Paul S. Taylor.

Also see:

http://arthistorynewsreport.blogspot.com/2017/07/dignity-vs-despair-dorothea-lange-and.html