White Angel Breadline By: Dorothea Lange Presented By: Denae Haeussler

Background Information: This photograph was taken in 1934 in San Francisco near a soup kitchen. Lange portrays the hardships of the average American in the depression era, getting caught in the breadline. Lois Jordan (the white angle) worked to keep this certain breadline going with only unrequested donations.

Character: One man defined more than all the others to show his importance. This man has felt the hurt of the depression more than all the others in the photograph but he still represents many people.

Color: The black and white of the photo even though it was not chosen helps the message stay straight on point.

Light: The shading the man has from his hat keeps him lost because his eyes are covered. The tightness of his hands show the knot in his life that he cannot get out of the depression.

Angle: You cannot see his eyes showing that he is lost and cannot see the future in front of him. You cannot see inside his entire cup but from the little you can see that there is not enough.

Proportion: He is larger than all the other people in the picture so that you can easily see his importance. The fence creates a dividing line between the depression and being oblivious of the depression.

Placement: The man is place in the center so that the attention is not drawn from him. The fences entrance is not in the image making it seam like the fence goes on forever.

Setting: This photograph shows the hardship of the depression and focuses on one man that has felt it deeply but represents many.

CCLAPPS ANALYSIS Character: Even though there are lots of people in this photo the emphasis is placed on a single individual, because of his position relation to the camera. This man has had the effects of the depression era placed on him more so than the others because he is looking away from the crowd, giving up on what it has to offer. Color: Even though Lange did not get to choose between color and black and white because the color film was not developed yet, it still helps put the emphasis on the despair people were feeling rather then having color that would have made it seem more lively which would have taken away from the message. Light: Overall the image is very dark but there are a few spots that help further the message by creating a division between the darkness and the light. The man’s hat is lighter than almost everything else in the picture. The hat shades the man from the light keeping him inside the dark and his eyes covered are showing that he is lost. His hat is hiding him from the light and he cannot find out how to get out of the darkness when it is right above him. The man’s hands are very light compared to everything else in the image and they are clasped tightly together. How closely they are woven together show how stuck and knotted a life can be in the depression era. Angle: The camera was placed above the scene looking down on a group of men that were waiting to get food. One man is facing toward us with part of his face showing. Since you cannot see his eyes its giving the sense that he himself cannot see what is in the future for him and what he is worth. You can also see inside a little bit of his cup that he is hovered over. His cup is not full making it known that he is missing something weather his cup is completely empty or not filled with enough.

CCLAPPS ANALYSIS Proportion: The main character in the picture is larger and more defined because of the way he is facing. He is larger so that the emphasis is directed straight on him and so you can easily know his importance of having the worst of the effects from the depression era in that group of people. There is a fence that takes up one third of the picture. All of the people are on one side of the fence which gives it a dividing line. The line determines weather you have become hurt from this era or if you where oblivious to the whole situation. No one is on the side of being oblivious meaning that every average American felt the hurt of the depression. Placement: The gate through fence separating the two different worlds is missing showing you that there is no way into the light and it goes on forever. The center of the picture is a man representing many that have felt the hardships of the depression. The man’s eyes cannot be seen but from the photo you can guess that he is just starring down at the ground on the other side of the fence. Setting: This photograph was taken in the depression era and you can easily tell if you are educated in that era that it was taken then. The focus is straight on a man that himself thinks he has nothing to live for and is completely lost. This picture shows an average day in the depression era at a soup kitchen. It sets the scene that every person including the rich felt the hurt of the depression era.