White Angel Breadline

photograph by Lange

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June 17, 2026

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The photograph "White Angel Breadline" was taken by Dorothea Lange in 1932 during the Great Depression. This image depicts the dire circumstances of unemployed men in San Francisco. Lange's work during this period, including "White Angel Breadline," gained significant public and critical attention. These powerful images led to her commission by the Resettlement Administration (later the Farm Security Administration) to document the plight of rural poverty. Her photographs aimed to bring the struggles of the poor to public awareness.12

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Dorothea Lange
Photos of the Great Depression
Pictures such as White Angel Breadline (1932), showing the desperate condition of these men, were publicly exhibited and received immediate recognition both from the public and from other photographers, especially members of Group f.64. These photographs also led to a commission in 1935 from the federal Resettlement Administration…
Read More
Pictures such as White Angel Breadline (1932), showing the desperate condition of these men, were publicly exhibited and received immediate recognition both from the public and from other photographers, especially members of Group f.64. These photographs also led to a commission in 1935 from the federal Resettlement Administration…
Read More