"Migrant Mother" Florence Thompson with Her Children in Nipomo, California, February/March 1936

Photo shows Florence Thompson with several of her children in a tent shelter as part of the "Migrant Mother" series.

Courtesy of Library of Congress, Lange, Dorothea, "Migrant agricultural worker's family. Seven hungry children. Mother aged thirty-two. Father is native Californian. Nipomo, California," February/March 1936

Description

This photograph by Dorothea Lange is part of a well-known collection taken of Florence Thompson with several of her children during the Dust Bowl. The photo collection, known as the "Migrant Mother" series, shows Thompson with her children in a tent shelter in Nipomo, California. Lange was concluding a month's trip photographing migratory farm labor around the state for what was then the Resettlement Administration.

Source-Dependent Questions

The mother in this photo is 32 years old and has seven children. Describe what you think this mother is thinking and feeling.
Using evidence from this photo, how do you think the Dust Bowl is affecting the children?

Citation Information

Lange, Dorothea, "Migrant agricultural worker's family. Seven hungry children. Mother aged thirty-two. Father is native Californian. Nipomo, California," February/March 1936. Courtesy of Library of Congress