Migrant Worker on California Highway

It could be said the American Dream took shape in the shadow of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, defined by the Americans who travelled the long, rocky road toward the chance to achieve it. It makes sense that a light powerful enough to crack through the darkest days would have the strength to shine still, almost a century later. It's an enduring dream we can see suggestions of in Dorothea Lange's work.

Over a million people headed West in pursuit of that dream, looking to escape a life of destitution, lift themselves from poverty, and provide for their families. What formed was a nomadic, boot-strapped workforce made up of migrant workers. Armed with a camera, Lange embarked on a mission to document their experience on behalf of the FSA, producing photographs that would become some of the most recognizable images of Depression-era America. This edition reminds us why Lange will always lay claim to a paramount place in American history.