Biographical Note
Florence Owens Thompson (1903-1983) was the subject of the iconic Great Depression-era photograph, "The Migrant Mother," by Farm Security Administration photographer Dorothea Lange. The photoshoot took place in March 1936 while Lange was documenting migratory farm workers in Nipomo, Calif. At the time, Thompson, her husband, and seven children were looking for field work in a pea-pickers camp. Thompson, a native of present-day Oklahoma, settled with her family in Modesto, Calif. following World War II. When Thompson fell ill and was hospitalized in 1983, her family appealed for financial assistance through an article in the San Jose Mercury News. The article and her story gained nation-wide attention, prompting people from around the world to write and send contributions to help with her medical care.