Kern Migrant Camp, California; Preschool
https://www.loc.gov/resource/fsa.8a31316/
Dorothea Lange photographed a small group of children at a preschool that operated to care for children while their mothers worked in the nearby fields. The six children photographed range from a few months old to about 5 years old, indicating that this facility served also as a nursery. In photographing an infant sleeping in a makeshift bed made out of cardboard, Lange captured the reality of economic hardship during the Great Depression. Not photographed however, but perhaps just as telling of the economic hardships, are the teachers. Nurseries and preschools were often overcrowded with children and understaffed because most mothers needed to work in the fields to get by.
This photo may have been taken to instill hope that while the nation worked, the children were still being looked after. Photographs of infants and children are often representative of hope and change. This photo by Lange shows a sleeping infant and five other children who don’t look particularly upset which, I think given the circumstances, is good. I also believe though that this photo was taken by Lange to promote the New Deal so that mothers could come home. I think Lange intentionally did not include an adult in the photograph so as to push the nation’s men to get to work in the government programs so that mothers could get back to raising their kids and running their homes.
Kaitlyn Andrade 336E Spring 2020 