Cantaloupe Pickers, Mexicans, at End of Day in California Melon Fields / Mexican Labor Off for the Melon Fields in the Imperial Valley, California
Item
-
Title
-
Cantaloupe Pickers, Mexicans, at End of Day in California Melon Fields / Mexican Labor Off for the Melon Fields in the Imperial Valley, California
-
Rights
-
The J. Paul Getty Museum, California. Public Domain.
-
Creator
-
Lange, Dorothea (1895-1965)
-
Date
-
1935 C.E.
-
Description
-
This photograph from 1935 captures Mexican migrant workers in California heading home after working in the melon fields. Mexicans migrated to the American Southwest in the 1930s searching for work after turbulent political affairs at home resulted in a domestic labor shortage. Most workers migrated from the northern border of Mexico, but some laborers commuted from as far as Mexico’s central region in search of work. Dorothea Lange took this photo as part of a project commissioned by the Farm Security Administration to advocate against rural poverty. She became interested in the plight of migrant workers through her work with the FSA and used photography to advocate for better working conditions on the migrant farms.
-
Format
-
Gelatin silver print. 7 7/16 × 9 5/16 in.
-
Publisher
-
The J. Paul Getty Museum.
-
Contributor
-
Melissa Valenzuela
-
Identifier
-
The J. Paul Getty Museum. 2000.50.7
-
Subject
-
Farm workers; migrant workers; farmers; farmworker movement; agriculture; Mexico; Hispanic history; California; labor history; Dorothea Lange.
-
Source
-
Jpg file. The J. Paul Getty Museum. 11/4/2021. https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/128361/dorothea-lange-cantaloupe-pickers-mexicans-at-end-of-day-in-california-melon-fields-mexican-labor-off-for-the-melon-fields-in-the-imperial-valley-california-american-july-1935/
Cantaloupe Pickers