As a follow up to my mentioning Dorothea Lange the other day, recall that I had previously discussed her and her most famous photo Migrant Mother (click here.)
Turns out that there is a back story to the Migrant Mother (click here) whose real name was Florence Thompson and was a full blooded Native American Cherokee. Years after the 1936 photo was taken, Florence wrote a letter expressing concerns about the photo and the write up associated with it:
Turns out that Florence and her children regretted and were unhappy that Dorothea had made them so famous:
Leads me to conclude that perhaps Florence not “getting a penny out of it” may have been the biggest problem that she had with the photo and Dorothea. Again, as Buzzy always said “Sooner or later, it all comes down to money.” (Actually that’s a Bruce line, but it sure does sound like something Buzzy would say.)
Still, it does seem a little sad and ironic that such a classic photo depicting tough times in the Great Depression ultimately would end up depressing the very lady who was featured in it. Go figure.
Music-wise the following was a popular tune back then: