Dorothea Lange (American, 1895–1965)
Printed under the artist's supervision by Irwin Welcher
Black Maria, Oakland, from the series "Public Defender"
INV-2201
Dorothea Lange (American, 1895–1965)
Printed under the artist's supervision by Irwin Welcher1957, printed 1965
Black Maria, Oakland, from the series "Public Defender"
Dorothea Lange (American, 1895–1965) Printed under the artist's supervision by Irwin Welcher →photographphotography
Date
1957, printed 1965
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
39.3 × 37 cm (15 1/2 × 14 5/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Photography Associates Fund
Known for her iconic images of the Great Depression, documentary photographer Dorothea Lange cultivated a photographic approach that was at once ruthless and empathetic. Between 1955 and 1957, she worked on a photo essay, Public Defender, which documented legal challenges for indigents accused at the Alameda County Courthouse, in downtown Oakland, California. Lange followed 36-year-old public defender Martin N. Pulich as he worked in his office, advocated in the courtroom, and visited clients in jail cells. Originally intended for Life magazine, the series was instead published as an uncredited four-page spread in a Filipino newspaper. In January 1966, just months after Lange’s death, a retrospective exhibition was mounted at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, featuring this stark image of a police van (called a “Black Maria”) along with three other photographs from Public Defender.
Also notable
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Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California
Dorothea Lange (American, 1895–1965) printed by the Library of Congress
Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California
Dorothea Lange (American, 1895–1965) printed by Irwin Welcher (American, 1907–1991)
Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California
Dorothea Lange (American, 1895–1965) printed by the Library of Congress
Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California
Dorothea Lange (American, 1895–1965) printed commercially under the supervision of Arthur Rothstein (American, 1915–1985)