Dorothea Lange's Influence On Photography

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Dorothea Lange was a photographer; she had polio when she was six (Venezia 11). Whenever Dorothea had polio, her right foot became paralyzed (10). When she grew up, she traveled the United States. As she traveled, she would take pictures of people who would be waiting in line for food, or homeless people (16). Polio was a very common disease in the Great Depression (Hecht 13). At that time doctors did not have a vaccine for polio, to prevent it. Some common symptoms were stiff neck, fatigue, muscle pain, muscle weakness, sudden temporary or permanent paralysis, etc. (Hetch 17). The disease was highly contagious (Sherrow 17). The disease itself causes most people to become paralyzed, or partially paralyzed (Hecht 17). In the Great Depression …show more content…

Dorothea’s work was sent all the way across the country to Washington DC. Her artwork was sent to the government to prove her point. She wanted to help the people in poverty, and the families that need financial help. After they looked her work they realized what conditions people were living in. Later the government helped all the families that needed help to survive (30). Dorothea’s influence on photography was Arnold Genthe (“Dorothea Lange”). He was the person who inspired her to travel across the country (“Bigrophy.com Ed.”). Arnold let Dorothea use his camera at first until she could afford one (“Dorothea Lange”). By 1918, Dorothea was living in San Francisco and was soon to be running a portrait studio (“Bigrophy.com Ed.”). Later in 1940, she was the first woman who awarded a Guggenheim fellowship (“Bigrophy.com Ed.”). The Guggenheim fellowship is a demonstration of credibility and arts (“Bigrophy.com Ed.”). In conclusion, polio is a very deadly disease, and can cause paralysis, or even death (“Polio”). They did not invent a vaccine until dorothea already was infected with the virus (Sherrow 35). Dorothea suffered from polio her whole life (Venezia 10). She later became a famous photographer (“Poilo”). Dorothea owned a portrait studio when she lived in San Francisco (“Bigrophy.com