Hollywood Glamour vs. Poverty: In Portraits of America

Edward Steichen’s portrait of Gloria Swanson (taken in 1924) and Dothea Lange’s Migrant Mother (taken in 1936) are iconic photos that depict American women as they differ (due to class disparities, the great depression, and the new freedoms for women). According to Roland Barthes, photography holds an emphasis on “a ‘cultural context’ in the interpretation of a photographic meaning.” (Choi, 2003) Gloria Swanson was an icon of her time, beautiful and elegant, she was adored and mimic by women. Migrant Mother by Dorthea Lange is a representation of the direct and implied messages that photography can capture. Migrant Mother became the poster child for an America in a crisis. Taken a little over ten years apart, these photographs represent women as their place and importance in society grew and changed with time.

Icons and symbolism are important aspects in the effect of a photograph for the viewer. They allow the viewer to connect to a photograph both aesthetically and emotionally. Symbolism can be expressed in varying ways in pictures and can be interpreted differently from person to person. The way photographers choose to incorporate these elements into their work changes from style to style and photographer to photographer. They can depict human values, make comments on society, and evoke shared cultural ideals among other things. (Douglis, 2007) Just after World War I America blossomed as a new world power. It was a time of prosperity and growth. Women were gaining new rights and entertainment began to reach new levels in the form of major motion pictures with sounds. Edward Steichen’s photo is a representation of that America. Gloria Swanson stares into the audience as a symbol of American Growth and Prosperity. As the decade shifted from the 20’s to the 30’s the landscape of America became to change. Crisis like the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression (featured in Migrant Mother) spread across the country. Times were tough for many American’s facing drought and poverty. (Powers, 2003) Migrant Mother captures a moment in the life of Florence Owens Thompson and her children during those tough economic times. Thompson and her children became the poster child for the time. Like the works of Millet (such as The Sower of 1850 and The Gleaners of 1857) which captured moments in the lives of the poor French working class in the middle of the 19^th Century, Dorthea Lange’s photograph captures the scene with a quiet nobility and grace. Though both photographs display a sense of drama their symbolic interpretations differs. The former displays the grace, glamour, and prosperity of the 1920’s while the latter depicts the suffering of those affected by the Dust Bowl and the Depression. Both photographs however display engaging and powerful independent women. (Rothaizer, 1986)

Edward Steichen had already gain notoriety for his pictorial photographs. After taking a position as Chief photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair, Steichen shaped a new presentation of fashionable and attractive women. At the time women were depicted in photographic images as demur, alluring, and animalistic figures. By using crisper modern lines, as opposed to the soft romantic lines of the past, Steichen was able to depict women in a straight forward manner that heighted their new found independence. (Flint, 1983) Steichen achieves this here with his portrait of Gloria Swanson. She was the leading screen actress of the time earning 8 million dollars in between 1918 and 1929. “Gloria Swanson, a symbol of enduring glamour who was perhaps the most glittering goddess of Hollywood's golden youth in the 1920's.” (Flint, 1983) Swanson made a smooth transition from the world of silent films to “talkies”. She was iconic symbol for women. Known for her lavish lifestyle, Gloria Swanson married many time and had and several affairs. “In all her worlds, Swanson was the embodiment of the modern, liberated woman.” (Hager)

Steichen captured the portrait after long hours in the studio. After adjusting the scene several times Steichen chooses the piece of lace that drapes across Swanson’s face. Swanson’s face blends with the pattern of the lace creating and interesting pattern of flesh and lace. Swanson shines behind the veil, displaying a feminine mystery and poise. Using strong contrast and crisp sharp focus, Steichen captured the iconic portrait. Steichen pushed the conventions of modern pictorial photography in innovative ways. He adapted and attempted to create a stage that allowed the subjects personality to shine. Gloria Swanson does that here. Through her veil of lace she almost calls out to the viewer. Her wide, almost seductive, eyes draw you in. She is presented simply but maintains of aura of Hollywood grandeur. (Hager)

Dorthea Lange worked for the Farm Security Administration documenting unemployed migrant workers. The mother and her children are shot close together, giving the photograph a strong sense of familial connection. Lange chooses not to mask Florence Owens Thompsons weathered appearance. Instead she uses it to give the viewer sense of her experience. The photograph is raw and emotional. Lange does not make any attempts to whitewash Thompson’s experience instead she chooses to use the subject and her environment to create and image that would come to represent the struggling American’s of the time. The photograph was widely distributed to heighten awareness of the poverty experience by migrant workers in an attempt to attain government aid. (Choi, 2003)

Florence Owen Thompson and her children fill the entire frame of the photograph and created a triangle with their close-knit formation. Lange uses the composition to aid in creating an image that would display the condition of the poor in America. Thompson’s body language does not display her in the same condition of that of the elegant Gloria Swanson. However, Thompson possesses grandeur of her own. She is an independent mother effect by economic downturn struggling to maintain the health and livelihoods of her young children. Thompson’s elegance and strength is not displayed in her attractiveness, mystery, or allure but rather in the stoic manner she is displayed in the image. In dirty clothing Thompson rest placed her hand on her chin, as if in thought, with an anguished expression illustrating her struggle. Unlike Swanson who is depicted in a mysterious and feminine manner, Thompson is depicted in a manner that highlights her strength. Thompson bears a pained expression but the image does not convey weakness in the slightest. She is a strong independent woman struggling to care for her children.

Migrant Mother and Gloria Swanson are both powerful images depicting independent women. The women both share a grace and elegance that jumps from their images. However, they are both symbols of the times they were created. Gloria Swanson created in the exciting and innovative time of the 20’s shows a woman who exudes confidence. Her vivacious personality shines through her veil. A woman of her time, she is mysterious and alluring. Migrant Mother showcases the plight of a woman and her children. The photograph shows feminine strength not through beauty but through the power of the situation she depicts. Gloria Swanson was an icon of her time photographed in all her glory, which Steichen captures. Florence Owens Thompson became a symbol of the struggling lower classes during the Depression. As society changed, the women depicted in the photographs morphed as well. The glamour of the 20’s was replaced with the realism of the 30’s.

Instuctional Resources: Migrant Mother by Dorthea Lange. (1995, May). Art Education Vol 48. No. 3, pp. 25-28 and 37-40.

Choi, H. (2003). Analysis of Discourses Encompassing the Migrant Mother Picture. Conference Papers International Commincation Association, 1-18.

Douglis, P. (2007, May/June). Every Symbol Tells a Story. Communication World, pp. 42-43.

Flint, P. (1983). GLORIA SWANSON DIES; 20's FILM IDOL. New York Times, 1.

Hager, L. (n.d.). Venetian Red. Retrieved 12 1, 2011, from Venetian Red: http://venetianred.net/2009/09/09/a-history-of-lace-in-seven-portraits-gloria-swanson/

Powers, B. (2003, April). From Dreams to Dust. Cobblestone, p. pg 4.

Rothaizer, S. (1986). WOMEN IN PHOTOGRAPHY: MAKING CONNECTIONS. Off Our Backs, Vol. 16, No. 11, ELECTIONS, pp. 6-7.