Dorothea Lange: Words & Pictures | MoMA

Dorothea Lange (American, 1895-1965) conveyed the stories of everyday life with sharp and compassionate attention to the human condition.

Her career is widely heralded, yet the connection she cultivated between words and pictures has received scant attention. In conjunction with a major exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, this catalogue provides a fresh approach to some of her most iconic images, such as White Angel Breadline (1933) and Migrant Mother (1936), as well as rarely seen works.

These photographs, some reproduced in their original published form, are accompanied by contributions from a distinguished group of contemporary writers, artists, and critical thinkers who respond to the images with observations both personal and scholarly. By viewing the breadth of Lange's career and the diverse contexts in which her work appeared, we gain a more nuanced understanding of her achievement and her belief that "all photographs can be fortified by words." Includes contributions by Julie Ault, Kimberly Juanita Brown, River Encalada Bullock, Sam Contis, Jennifer A. Greenhill, Lauren Kroiz, Sally Mann, Sandra S. Phillips, Wendy Red Star, Christina Sharpe, Robert Slifkin, Rebecca Solnit, and Tess Taylor.