An American Exodus: A Record of Human Erosion

work by Lange

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 15, 2026

Quick Summary

An American Exodus: A Record of Human Erosion is a 1939 book by American documentary photographer Dorothea Lange and her husband, economist Paul Taylor. The work features Lange's powerful photographs of displaced farmers and migrant workers during the Great Depression. These images, including the iconic Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, drew public attention to the severe hardships faced by rural populations, highlighting their difficult living conditions and struggles for survival. The book aimed to document the human impact of economic hardship and influenced the direction of documentary photography. African Americans were disproportionately affected, facing higher unemployment and receiving less aid.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Dorothea Lange
Photos of Japanese American internment and work after World War II
…her photographs in the book An American Exodus: A Record of Human Erosion. Her second husband, economist Paul Taylor, provided the text. (Lange’s first husband was painter Maynard Dixon.) She then received a Guggenheim fellowship in 1941, and the following year she recorded the mass evacuation of Japanese Americans to…
Read More
…her photographs in the book An American Exodus: A Record of Human Erosion. Her second husband, economist Paul Taylor, provided the text. (Lange’s first husband was painter Maynard Dixon.) She then received a Guggenheim fellowship in 1941, and the following year she recorded the mass evacuation of Japanese Americans to…
Read More