Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression

by Carole Boston Weatherford, Sarah Green (Illustrations)

Before she raised her lens to take her most iconic photo, Dorothea Lange took photos of the downtrodden, from bankers in once-fine suits waiting in breadlines, to former slaves, to the homeless sleeping on sidewalks. A case of polio had left her with a limp and sympathetic to those less fortunate. Traveling across the United States, documenting with her camera and her fieldbook those most affected by the stock market crash, she found the face of the Great Depression. In this picture book biography, Carole Boston Weatherford's lyrical prose captures the spirit of the influential photographer.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, History, Nonfiction, Photography, Art, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published February 28, 2017

About the author

Carole Boston Weatherford is a children's book author and poet who mines the past for family stories, traditions, and struggles. A number of CAROLE's books tell the stories of African-American historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens, and Billie Holiday. Other books recount historical events such as the Greensboro Sit-ins and the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. CAROLE's books have received a wide variety of awards, including a Caldecott Honour for “Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People To Freedom”.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although with regard to providing the basic and bare essentials about Dorothea Lange's life and her career as a photographer, author Carole Boston Weatherford has (I guess and to a point) succeeded adequately enough and in a sufficiently informative general manner, personally, I do have to say that Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression has rather been a textually disappointing and at times even quite tediously dragging and uninspiring reading experience, with the author's, with Carole Boston Weatherford's printed words far too often jumping around haphazardly and back and forth from the present to the past and vice versa (which can easily and potentially cause confusion if readers are not already at least somewhat familiar with Dorothea Lange and can thus make necessary connections due to prior knowledge of her life and career, which though, should in my opinion also NOT be assumed in Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression, which should not be taken for granted in a picture book supposedly and generally geared towards children).

And yes, I equally and furthermore very much in fact do think that in Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression, Carole Boston Weatherford almost entirely remains woefully and frustratingly on the surface so to speak, that she never (in my humble opinion) really delves deeply enough into Dorothea Lange's life and her many struggles (her bout with polio, her parents' unsuccessful marriage, her issues at school, her decision to become a photographer), so that readers of Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression might well receive a general and standard knowledge of Dorothea Lange but never enough to really get to know her on a personal and on an emotional level (for yes, albeit that Carole Boston Weatherford's text is factually solid, it is also on a deeper level rather coldly uninspiring and not all that engaging). Combined with the fact that I have also aesthetically not found Sarah Green's accompanying artwork all that visually pleasant (a bit blurry at times, not focussing and concentrating enough on Dorothea Lange herself for my tastes and desires, and also, importantly and annoyingly, with regard to especially Dorothea Lange's clothing, sometimes rather anachronistic choices being made), for me, while Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression does provide a reasonable and general introduction to Dorothea Lange's life and photography career to and for children, it is also an introduction that is rather barely adequate and as such also but a low two star ranking for me (and yes indeed, I am also rather majorly annoyed and frustrated that the supplemental information section of Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression includes no bibliographic materials whatsoever and that there are also only three examples of Lange's actual photographs being featured and presented).

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

The flow of the book was really choppy and weird. The summary of her life at the end was much more informative than the actually story

[Alan (the Lone Librarian rides again) Teder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic Novel Biography
Review of the Albert Whitman & Co. kindle eBook edition (2018) of the original Albert Whitman & Co. hardcover (2017)

I've read quite a bit about photographer Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) over the past several years, so I'd say that this children's book (ages 4 to 8 are the recommended reading level) on her life is accurate and covers the significant periods and photographic moments. Several of the panels by illustrator Sarah Green are reproductions of actual Lange photographs or photographs of her (such as the cover and the panel below). The story does mainly lead up to the iconic 'Migrant Mother' photograph of Florence Owens Thompson, but Lange's earlier and later work is also discussed. There is a 2 page addendum to further summarize Lange's life and work and some small reproductions of her actual photographs are included.


A 2 page spread from the book as illustrated by Sarah Green, based on one of the iconic photographs taken of Dorothea Lange. Image sourced from Xiaohuasheng Book Blog.

Trivia and Link
I read Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Saw the Faces of the Depression as part of my survey of various books on the topic of Dorothea Lange and her work and life.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression is a children's picture book written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Sarah Green. Dorothea Lange was always drawn to photography, but it wasn't until the Great Depression that she became inspired to tell human stories through her camera.

Dorothea Lange was an American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA). Lange's photographs influenced the development of documentary photography and humanized the consequences of the Great Depression.

Weatherford's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Weatherford writes eloquently of Lange’s creative drive and compassion. Weatherford emphasizes how Lange was not only an artist driven to make art but an activist whose images generated awareness of suffering and injustice. Backmatter includes a two-page biography. Working in a thick, mossy style and a creamy color palette, Green shows Lange photographing impoverished Americans.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Dorothea Lange dared to see and documented what she saw during the Great Depression – hunger, poverty, soup kitchens, breadlines, internment camps, and bloody strikes. It concludes the picture book with a full treatment of how Lange's iconic Migrant Mother photograph came to be.

All in all, Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression is a fine introduction to an important American artist.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Text: 3 stars
Illustrations: 3 stars

Picture book biography of photographer Dorothea Lange. Text is choppy and has some holes. Despite the style of dress and old-fashioned camera, the illustrations feel too modern for the historical setting. Informative author's note in the back of the book with a few of Dorothea Lange's most famous photographs included. No bibliography.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was glad that the author included the biography summary at the end of the book as I really enjoyed that. I wished that the rest of the book would have followed this format as I felt at times that the book's language or format was off. The sentences seemed to be too long, too wordy, while at other times, the flow was off.

Who was Dorothea Lange? I was interested in her as I remember her name from her photographs from the depression. Her famous black-and-white Migrant Mother photo and the photos of the children from the depression era yet when I read this book, I see none of them. It isn't until I get to the summary biography at the back that I actually see some of her actual work. I had hoped that this book would have at least a few of her actual pictures in the story so that readers can experience her. I just hope everyone looks at the back pages of the book to see her actual photographs.

Dorothea had a dream of becoming a photographer and she accomplished that dream. I liked that she was able to capture on film, the individual(s) who was in front of her. She didn't ask them for anything, they were just themselves. She took pictures of anyone, every walk of life, there were no exclusions. If you haven't seen her photographs, you need to look her up. I was disappointed in this book.

[Donalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pair with Lange's original photographs. Don't miss the detailed author's note.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lange's life is a powerful story that is far less known than are her iconic photographs from the US depression era. In fact, her life began as a victim of bullying for her post-polio limp. She not only ignored the thought that a limo could hold her back but she actively moved into the world with character and physical strength that was rarely seen by able-bodied men, let alone women.
Her intention and persistence to self-instruct, to follow her dreams and impulses, and to use her most valuable talent, her "eyesight", which she used to suggest so much more than simply accurate vision.
This is an entertaining and inspiring story for girls AND boys, not to mention the adults who share the book with them.
In this age of everyone having a camera in their hand, from a very early age, Lange's story is a valuable guide to the thought that a picture is only worth taking if it tells a story, if it touches a heart, if it transforms the viewer, and perhaps the subject as well.

[Madison Hoyt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book called, "Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression" by Carole Boston Weatherford is a book about a famous photographer during the early 1900's named Dorothea Lange. Dorothea Lange took photos of people during the Great Depression and expressed their feelings through her images. I think that this book is a good book to teach younger kids on Dorothea Lange and some things she did in her lifetime.
This book explains how Dorothea Lange took pictures during the Great Depression and I think it's a great way to get kids to know about important woman during history. Especially this book being a picture book, it is a good book for kids. I still liked this book because even as a teenager, I love picture books. They make me more invested into the book and it gives me a better understanding.
Carole Boston Weatherford did an amazing job on creating a book that is informational yet interesting. The fact that it's a picture book makes it even better for people like kids to want to read more and learn about Dorothea Lange or even other woman in history.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never knew Dorothea Lange had polio as a child. This is an excellent read, but the vocabulary is at a high level. It would be fine for a kid to read with an adult but might be frustrating for younger solo readers.

[KC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biography of photographer Dorothea Lange and how she exposed the poverty of our country through a camera lens.

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dorothea Lange certainly did see people through the lens of her camera differently, perhaps because she could empathize with them. During the Great Depression, she focused on the people who struggled to survive. She too strugged, but with the disease of polio which left her with a limp and a nickname, Limpy.

Lange documented people who were forgotten and put them in the spotlight. Her pictures told their stories and opened the eyes of many Americans as to the plight of the poor.

The back section of the book has more insight into the life of Dorothea Lange, but I would have liked to see more photographs of the internment of the Japanese Americans, which she took.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Because childhood polio left her with a limp and a rolling gait, Dorothea knew how those less fortunate felt without ever walking in their shoes.


Premise/plot: This is a picture book biography of Dorothea Lange, a photographer perhaps best known for her photograph, "Migrant Mother."


My thoughts: I didn't love this one as much as I'd hoped. I've really enjoyed some of Weatherford's other picture book biographies. And I think this one had potential. Dorothea Lange was certainly an interesting woman who left an impact on the world. I found the author's note, "About Dorothea Lange" to be fascinating. The actual text of the picture book was less so, in my opinion. But I'm glad I read it. Even if I merely "liked" it, it was worth reading. Her photographs were familiar to me; her story was not.


Text: 3.5 out of 5

Illustrations. 3.5 out of 5

Toal: 7 out of 10

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A simple picture book biography introducing Lange unremarkable in prose and illustrations. Most disappointing is the lack of end matter.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weatherford, Carole Boston Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression Illustrated by Sarah Green PICTURE BOOK Albert Whitman and Company, 2017. $16.99 Content: G.

Dorothea had polio as a young child and was always aware of those who were less fortunate. She didn’t do well in school but found an interest in photography and started taking pictures of those around her who were suffering. Her pictures began to capture the heartache and suffering of the Great Depression and she had some printed in a newspaper. Eventually her photographs gained enough attention that the government helped those who were suffering.

This is a great biography on Dorothea Lange which is short and to the point, but hits the major facts. The illustrations are in muted tones and at the end of the book there are three of Lange’s well known photographs and a more descriptive biography. This is a short book that is more of a starting point for this time period and made me want more information, but is good for younger readers.

EL (K-3) – ADVISABLE. Reviewer, C. Peterson.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...

[Jennifer Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of the Depression by Carole Boston Weatherford; pictures by Sarah Green
•
We all know the photograph that made Dorothea Lange memorable- Migrant Mother- the face of the Great Depression. But what I learned and loved about this books is that it took her years to really grasp her purpose and focus of photography. She started out taking portrait photographs in her own studio. As she grew she gained experience out in the world taking photographs of people, real people, who weren't staged or wealthy. She showed real Americans.
•
This book is a very short and rather quick overview of Dorothea Lange's life and focuses primarily on her growth as a photographer. Included in the back is an About page with more detailed information about her life. It's a good first introduction into her life's work for kids.
•
I know it's a kids book but I wish it was longer and shared more information in the story.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love picture book biographies because I love exposing my students to so many amazing people in the world that they can learn more about and they can think about all the possible things there are to do in the world. One of the things I appreciate about how this story is told is that it shares how some of Dorothea's empathy, which is so evident in her photographs, began when she was a child and others did not empathize with her dilemma. I also really appreciate the illustrations that "draw" the photographs in black and white to stay with the illustration style throughout the book. This can be paired with the other Dorthea Lange picture book I reviewed as well as the picture book Ruby's Hope. Using the three books together along with some actual prints of her photographs could be a great way to start a discussion about the Great Depression and/or photography as an art form.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the line from the story that says, " She was a storyteller with a camera." I think that perfectly describes Dorothea Lange. She took pictures that told the story of people from all different walks of life. When she became a photographer for the government she took pictures of the things other people ignored or neglected. Dorothea Lange's photo of the "Migrant Mother" helped the spur the government into action. After the photos ran in the newspaper, the government rushed to send food to the people in need. I think the vocabulary used in the book could be difficult for young children to understand. I would not use this particular book about Dorothea Lange to teach her to my students.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew the name Dorothea Lange and some photos of suffering people from the Depression era, including the woman with children that made Lange well known, brought food to suffering people, and employment to Lange working with the Farm Security Administration and the Resettlement Administration.
By the way the photograph was entitled, “Migrant Mother” and the woman was a full blooded Cherokee Indian.
Lange also photographed the Japanese internment camps during WWII. Having had polio as a child,Dorothea had great empathy for people and used her photography skills to show that suffering to others.
This brief, well done children’s biography makes me want to learn more about Dorothea Lange.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book for young girls. It will inspire them to reach beyond their imagined as well as real limitations to seek fulfillment, satisfaction and personal growth. Written in prose and beautifully illustrated by two women. The world is so much bigger now but in a sense more manageable with unlimited information through technical media and the sharing of personal stories by older women. Go ahead, buy this one as a gift for that inquisitive female in your life who wants to find a place in the world.....................

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is another artist’s life story told in this new fascinating book by Carole Boston Weatherford with illustrations by Sarah Green. Dorothea had polio as a child, ended up walking with a limp, and she was teased about it, became an outcast. After her parents’ divorce, she finished school (which she didn’t like) and ended up in California with a friend. She worked in a department store, but in only a few months opened her own studio, earning money by taking portraits of rich people. The book tells bits about her life, hiding her limp, marriage and children, divorce. As she photographed many things, she began to realize that she was meant to photograph people’s lives. It was then she was asked by a writer to illustrate an article he had written. He was drawn to her street photos and soon they collaborated in capturing lives. Dorothea became “a storyteller with a camera”. The illustrations are simple in conveying the scenes written, including some of the most famous of Dorothea’s work. There is an afterword that does show that one well-known photo of the woman in the migrant camp. For those who aren’t familiar with Dorothea Lange, it’s a good introduction.

[Pam Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dorothea Lange was such an accomplished photographer, sharing photographs of real people in real-life situations. The illustrations in this book just did not seem to work for the story and the author's note at the end was written in a more interesting format than the text of the story. (I would have liked to see more of Lange's photographs in the book.) I like to see bibliographies for non-fiction books and that is missing from this one.

[Ben Biddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed and admired Lange's photography. This book is a good introduction for children but the illustrations do not carry the same visual weight as her original prints. I actually learned more from the biography section in the back than the text. Perhaps the writing was too simplistic or haphazard to adequately convey Lange's hardships and skillful abilities. Overall a good book to check out from the library.

[Maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first thought was: did someone force this author to write this book (e.g. under contract, etc.)? Then I looked up the author and realized that Carole Boston Weatherford is someone I've read many good books from and was further confused.

This book is not well written, there is scant storytelling, and the telling lacks passion. While Dorothea Lange and her subjects are certainly worthy of their story being told, this book should not have been published.

(I'm sorry.)

[Phobean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clear but also kind of bare bones story of a rather unique photographer. The art didn’t really do much for me. As a kid, I could imagine feeling pretty confused about what happened with DL’s children. Does she just leave them behind? As an adult, I felt suspicious of the seemingly integrated spaces DL was spending time in —was this the author’s researched notes or the illustrator’s fantasy? Wish there was a bit about that in the author’s note.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read some books recently about Lange, and was interested in this picture book biography by one of my favorite non-fiction children's writers. But as I read it, I almost felt like I was reading an ARC...the text was disjointed. Despite the lack of flow, the book offers the basics of Lange's life, with an emphasis on how her most famous photo, Migrant Mother, came to be. The back matter helped pull the pieces together.

[Christina Getrost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward biography picture book about the famed photographer, briefly covering her childhood, and more detailed about her visit to the migrant camp where she shot her famous "Migrant Mother" image. Two-page author's note gives more details about her life and death, and three actual photos of hers are reproduced there. No sources given.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A biography of Dorothea up to the Depression. Includes her working for the US Government and taking a picture in a migrant camp that really made a difference -- it motivated the government to deliver food to starving people.

A person who made a difference in people's lives by seeing the people around her.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ends better than it starts. Telling me the person had polio before you actually introduce them doesn't help. But once you get into reading the story of her life, this is a really great story that I never knew. Some of the actual photos, including the one that made her most famous, are included in the very good author's note at the end. A really great intro to a life.

[Maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting picture book biography of the famous Depression-era photographer. Having read so many other great books by Carole Boston Weatherford, this one comparatively fell a little short. Illustrations were okay but my son and I both wished that her photos could have been interspersed throughout rather than confined to just the back matter. Would recommend, but didn’t love.