#31: Migrant Mother Makeover
2005: Popular Photography ran an article titled "Can these photos be saved?" about how to remove unsightly wrinkles from photographic subjects. They chose, as an example of a photo that "needed to be saved," Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" photo taken in 1936 during the Great Depression. Lange's photo is one of the most widely admired in the world. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as the Mona Lisa of photographs, and the Migrant Mother's stoic expression is what makes the image great. Nevertheless, the editors of
Popular Photography erased her wrinkles, softened her gaze, and removed her kids, transforming her from an iconic symbol of endurance into a smooth-faced, worry-free soccer mom. Their readers were horrified, not realizing the article was a spoof on the way magazines routinely touch-up celebrity images to remove blemishes and wrinkles. Hundreds wrote in expressing outrage at the defacement of such a classic image. To which the editors replied: Look at the date it was published!
Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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I would have been appalled for the shear impact of the photograph. This image is a symbol of the Great Depression faced by farmers and families in 1936. This woman sold the tires from her car to feed her family which meant they were stranded with no crop and no money. When this photo was published in San Francisco, the government rushed 20,000 Ibs. of food to the camp. This photo also influenced John Steinbeck's book 'The Grapes of Wrath.'
Posted by Erin in georgia on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 07:27 AM
i dont get it.
Posted by cassie in NY on Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 04:06 AM
me neither..
Posted by arvind in india on Mon Mar 31, 2008 at 08:15 AM
I don't understand about the date it was published.
Posted by Lori in Germany on Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 02:07 PM
Sheer. Not shear duh.
Posted by HAMLETLOVER on Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 02:24 PM
The date it was published... dur, they're being told to note that it's April Fools Day. As for the impact of the photo, I think that's an amazing way to get people to think critically about the state of things; why is it okay to rush right into touching up celebrity/model photos, but more artistic photos one would not dream of touching in that way?
Posted by silvy in Canada on Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 05:04 PM
The date published was April 1, 2005. April Fools Day! Get it?
Posted by Louis in San Diego, CA on Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 06:02 PM
In response to not getting the date it was published, it was published on April 1, (April Fools Day it was a hoax).
Posted by Gracie in AL on Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 07:44 PM
(You folks are joking, right?) Anyway, This is awesome! I love it.
Posted by Claire on Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 07:51 PM
you don't understand about the date it was published? umm...probably APRIL 1st..did you forget you were reading an article about the top 100 April Fool's Day pranks?
Posted by strychnine in taiwan on Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 10:32 PM
Publishers were telling people to look at the date it was published because it was APRIL FIRST, hence it was a hoax, nothing to get worked up about. Pretty good, even if a little too deep for some...
Posted by syl in North Carolina on Wed Apr 02, 2008 at 07:05 AM
The date it was published was April 1st!! helloooo.
Posted by Erin on Wed Apr 02, 2008 at 09:56 AM
She's smokin' hot now
Posted by Jake in St Louis on Wed Apr 02, 2008 at 02:36 PM
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