ABSTRACT
Dorothea Lange had two childhoods. The first childhood was a sheltered one, with two parents, in a seemingly loving household. Her family circle included a younger brother, a grandmother, aunts, and uncles. Despite her immigrant roots, Lange perceived herself as American. During her childhood, many leading figures recoiled at the new immigrants surrounding them, believing them a threat to their Anglo-American nation. Immigrants, whether privileged like Lange’s family, or desperately seeking new prospects like so many others, were drawn to the US because of its economy, which flourished after the Civil War. Mammoth industries, such as steel and oil, made the nation an economic powerhouse. Urban growth made American cities combustible. Cities lacked the complex structures of governance required to meet the needs of exploding populations. Public health programs, municipal sanitation, and welfare support for the poor, the disabled, and the unemployed were limited.
