Dorothea Lange

Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) believed in photography’s ability to reveal social conditions, educate the public, and prompt action. Though she is best known for her depression-era photographs that came to shape our view of one of the most tumultuous eras of American history, the career of Dorothea Lange was long and varied.

Her keen interest in the lives of ordinary people led her to travel and photograph diverse subjects across the U.S. and around the world.

The Museum of Contemporary Photography’s collection of works by Dorothea Lange is comprised of close to 500 images, most of which were acquired through a major gift from Katharine Taylor Loesch, daughter of the economist Paul Taylor, Lange’s collaborator and second husband. This collection affords visitors to the museum’s print study room an invaluable opportunity to view photographs from throughout her career and also work prints—multiple frames and images that vary in cropping and exposure time--that provide a glimpse into Lange’s working process.

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Lange, Dorothea (62)

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