Arnold genthe dorothea lange biography

(1895-1965)

Who Was Dorothea Lange?

During the Great Depression, Dorothea Lange photographed the unemployed men who wandered the streets.

Her photographs of migrant workers were often presented with captions featuring the words of the workers themselves. Lange’s first exhibition, held in 1934, established her reputation as a skilled documentary photographer.

Arnold genthe dorothea lange biography

In 1940, she received the Guggenheim Fellowship.

Early Years

One of the preeminent and pioneering documentary photographers of the 20th century, Lange was born Dorothea Nutzhorn on May 26, 1895, in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Her father, Heinrich Nutzhorn, was a lawyer, and her mother, Johanna, stayed at home to raise Dorothea and her brother, Martin.

When she was 7, Lange contracted polio, which left her right leg and foot noticeably weakened.

Later, however, she’d feel almost appreciative of the effects the illness had on her life. “[It] was the most important thing that happened to me, and formed me, guided