Friday, May 22, 2009

My favorite Dorothea Lange photo


Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children. Age thirty-two. Nipomo, California (LOC)
Originally uploaded by The Library of Congress

is now available on Flickr. This image of Florence Thompson (32) with three of her seven children is as near perfect a portrait as they come. They are destitute and her face shows concern but there is a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

This Library of Congress (LOC) image says "No known restrictions on publication" in the "Rights Info" section is happy news if you wanted to use it in a book, magazine, poster etc. LOC images include Matthew Brady images from The Civil War, images taken during the depression like the one here, and many others.

But there are so many other great historical images on Flickr as well from places like:
The Smithsonian Institution,
Bibliothèque de Toulouse in France,
The National Library of Wales,
New York Public Library
The Swedish National Heritage Board,
Oregon State University Archives,
The Brooklyn Museum,
The George Eastman House

It's well worth a look.



1 comment:

Fly Girl said...

What a striking photo! I never knew there were historical photos like these available for use. Thanks for the info! I miss you too, we'll have to get together to celebrate your B-Day!