Dorothea Lange: A Photographer's Life

by Milton Meltzer

This is a chronicle of a life in photography. Detailing the adventures of Dorthea Lange, the book raises questions about the uses and effectiveness of the medium and examines her images of anxious mothers and hungry infants and sullen men waiting in long city breadlines.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, Biography, Art

424 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Milton Meltzer wrote 110 books, five of which were nominated for the National Book Award. With Langston Hughes, he co-authored A Pictorial History of Black Americans, now in its sixth edition. He received the 2001 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for his contribution to children's literature, the 1986 Jane Addams Peace Association Children's Book Award, and the 2000 Regina Medal. He died in New York City of esophageal cancer at age 94.

Reviews

[Marion Irwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have known about Dorthea Lange's WPA photos for a long time. They are iconic!
Even so, my interest in her was piqued by a documentary of her life I saw on PBS.
That lead me to take this book out of the library. From her immigrant family beginnings, to her life as a portrait photographer in the 20's in San Francisco, her documentation of worker strikes and breadlines in the 30's, and then her heavily censored photos of Japanese internment camps in California, I was very impressed at her passionate portrayal of the suffering of people who were unable to express their situation. Her art was directed towards illustrating the effects of social policies.

This biography describes her artistic and social development, and the Author, Milton Metzer, has written 110 books, which is also very impressive!

[Noran Miss Pumkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

SHE MOVED ME! What more can I say about the woman and her art form?!? Her Photographs captures such range and depth of emotions, though from a time long ago are timeless still. the one on the front cover of this book is my favorite. I can loss myself it -- it could be today, can't it?! If you are lucky to be near the Oakland area, the museum there has the largest collection of her works anywhere in the world, and shows them now and then. This an excellent overall book of her work at a good price.

[Patrick Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a wonderful book, not only because of interesting photos and how they were made, but also because of the historical background of when they were taken. It was especially insightful about the depression and the interment of the Japanese during WWII. Dorothea was a tireless worker and traveler, opinionated and tough despite her foot crippled from childhood polio. Many great photos included, Migrant Woman and others.

[Allison]

My 'hero'

[Jamie Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

She fascinates me.

[Beth Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Dorthea Lange. Pure and simple!