The photographs of Dorothea Lange

the long version

Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) is widely recognized as one of the most eloquent and influential photographers in American history. While she is best known for her powerful images of the Depression era, made for the Farm Security Administration between 1935 and 1939, Lange was active as a photographer from the 1920s to the early 1960s and embraced a variety of subjects, from her own family to life in foreign lands. This book surveys the full breadth of her remarkable achievement. Reproduced here are important works from every phase of her career, from rare vintage examples of her most famous photographs to images that are far less familiar. The range of this work serves to confirm Lange's historical stature while expanding our understanding of her creative vision, which was at once documentary and interpretive. Lange's work has remained a touchstone for later generations of photographers due to its powerful synthesis of visual sophistication and emotional complexity.