Think about the perspective and the elements of the Migrant Mother photograph. Why do you think the photographer took this photo? What is the photographer’s purpose? What is your overall impression of the scene? Many viewers will conclude that the woman in the photograph represents strength in the face of hardship and despair.

Part of analyzing an image involves asking Why did the artist create this image? Sometimes responses to this question are left to interpretation; at other times, however, determining purpose can mean doing research. A bit of research would reveal that Lange was one of a number of photographers commissioned by the US government to travel throughout the United States and document the lives of Americans during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. Her photographs, which captured the poverty and despair of people uprooted from their homes, were intended to inspire and educate. But inspire and educate whom? It could be said that her audience, or intended viewers, were both contemporary Americans not directly affected by the ecological disaster and future generations. Asking why and for whom can be helpful in determining the message and the meaning of an image.