Images
Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother and Children, 1936
Jacob Lawrence, The Migration of the Negro Panel no. 57, 1940–1941
Objectives
Students will understand that when living in dire situations beyond their control, certain groups of Americans have migrated to other areas of the country. Students will understand what drove people to migrate, where they went, and what life was like in their new homes.
Focusing Statement
Throughout our nation’s history, migrations from one area to another within the country have occurred. In this lesson students will examine and compare two migrant populations through artwork, song, poetry, and primary written sources – the westward movement of dustbowl refugees in the 1930s and the Great Migration of African Americans from the south to northern cities.
Examining Expressive Content for Migrant Mother, 1936
- What do you see?
- What part of this picture catches your eye first?
- What catches your eye about this woman?
- What do you read in her posture and position with fingers to chin?
- What do the positions of her children tell you?
- What makes this image so intriguing and powerful?
Examining Expressive Content for The Migration Series, No. 57, 1940-1941
- What do you see?
- This painting measures only 12 x 18 inches, yet it effectively catches the eye. How did Lawrence achieve that? What effect does that have on the image? For instance, if he had chosen softer, muted colors and less distinct lines, how would that change the effect of the image, given its size, and its message?
- You can see his brush strokes in some sections. What do those add to the painting?
- What does Lawrence do to focus your eye on this woman, who is a laundress?
- What might the laundress’s very straight and upright laundry stick symbolize about her?
Examine No. 14-17 and No. 22 from The Migration Series. You can find these online or in Lawrence’s book, The Great Migration: An American Story, by Jacob Lawrence.
- How does Lawrence use color to direct the eye to what he considers important? Note examples where the viewer’s eye moves back and forth because of Lawrence’s color choices.
- Compare the colors used in this set of images to those used in the image of the laundress.
- Compare the mood of this set of images to the one with the laundress.