Japanese American Wartime Experiences: The Photography of Dorothea Lange

Dorothea Lange (1895–1965) is widely considered one of the greatest documentary photographers of the 20th century. Lange documented American life with riveting, intimate photographs that captured the human face of world events, and her skill at candid portraiture is unparalleled.

Dorothea Lange is perhaps best known for her photographs of migrant farm workers during the Depression of the 1930s, taken while Lange was employed by the Farm Security Administration. Lange’s moving and widely recognized photograph, Migrant Mother, is iconic.

Later, while working on assignment for the War Relocation Authority during World War II, Dorothea Lange photographed the evacuation and internment of Japanese Americans. These photographs captured the often raw emotions displayed by the Japanese Americans who were uprooted from their homes and businesses, and forced to live in internment camps. Over 120,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned during this dark chapter in American history.

The Lakewood Public Library is honored to exhibit in the Main Library Second Floor Gallery a selection of Dorothea Lange’s photographs that document Japanese American wartime experiences. The Library gratefully acknowledges the National Archives for making these important photographs available for exhibition.