Okie Collection

MIGRANT MOTHER, 1936. Florence Thompson, a 32-year-old migrant worker and mother of seven, with her children in a camp for migrant workers in Nipomo, California, 1936

Main street storefront, Chickasaw, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Main street storefront, Chickasaw, Oklahoma. This is a region from which hundreds of farm families have fled to the west. ['Loans - We Buy & Sell Clothing Luggage Guns etc - Used Clothing']

Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait...Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait for use on their farms to control the pest. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas. The people have left their home and connections in South Texas, and hope to reach the Arkansas Delta for work in the cotton fields. Penniless people

Drought refugees stopped along the highway near Lordsburg, New Mexico, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Drought refugees stopped along the highway near Lordsburg, New Mexico

Migratory family, Route 70, Arizona, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migratory family traveling across the desert in search of work in the cotton at Roswell, New Mexico. U.S. Route 70, Arizona

Migratory family, Route 70, Arizona, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migratory family traveling across the desert in search of work in the cotton at Roswell, New Mexico. U.S. Route 70, Arizona

Farmers sacking grasshopper bait, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farmers sacking grasshopper bait. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Children of Oklahoma migrants in agricultural workers camp near Calipatria, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Children of Oklahoma migrants in agricultural workers camp near Calipatria, California

Children of Oklahoma migrants, near Calipatria, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Children of Oklahoma migrants in agricultural workers camp near Calipatria, California

Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas. The people have left their home and connections in South Texas, and hope to reach the Arkansas Delta for work in the cotton fields. Penniless people

On the move, Wagoner, Wagoner County, Oklahoma, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
On the move. Wagoner, Wagoner County, Oklahoma

Oklahoma refugees, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oklahoma refugees. California

Grandmother from Oklahoma with grandson, working on quilt, California, Kern County, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Grandmother from Oklahoma with grandson, working on quilt. California, Kern County

Grandmother from Oklahoma with grandson, working on quilt, California, Kern County, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Grandmother from Oklahoma with grandson, working on quilt. California, Kern County

Little Oklahoma, the community that grew out of the need for help in the potato... CA, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Little Oklahoma, the community that grew out of the need for help in the potato and cotton fields. California

House in "Little Oklahoma", California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
House in "Little Oklahoma, " California

Migrant from Chickasaw, Oklahoma, stalled on the desert in southern California with no money, 1937
Southern California desert. Migrant from Chickasaw, Oklahoma, stalled on the desert in southern California with no money. He and his ten children are facing future in California

Family of four to be returned to Oklahoma by the Relief Administration, Holtville, California, 1937
Family of four to be returned to Oklahoma by the Relief Administration. "They won't go until they get so hungry that there's nothing else for them to do

Oklahomans in potato pickers camp near Shafter, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oklahomans in potato pickers camp near Shafter, California

One of three families camped behind a billboard on U.S. 99, Kern County, California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
One of three families camped behind a billboard on U.S. 99. Kern County, California

Tenant farmer spreading grasshopper bait, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tenant farmer spreading grasshopper bait in his alfalfa field, five miles from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Freightcar converted into home in "Little Oklahoma", California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Freightcar converted into home in "Little Oklahoma, " California

Home in "Little Oklahoma", California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Home in "Little Oklahoma, " a community that has grown out of migrant potato and cotton workers. California

Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait for use on their farms, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Farmers sack mixed grasshopper bait for use on their farms to control the pest. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Street and homes in "Little Oklahoma", California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Street and homes in "Little Oklahoma, " California

Three families camped on the plains along US 99 in California, 1938. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Three families camped on the plains along U.S. 99 in California. They are camped behind a billboard which serves as a partial windbreak. All are in need of work

Shack in "Little Oklahoma", California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Shack in "Little Oklahoma, " California

Housing for Oklahoma refugees, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Housing for Oklahoma refugees. California

Two families, camped by the roadside near Santa Maria, California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Two families, fifteen people, from Chickasaw, Oklahoma, camped by the roadside near Santa Maria, California. Heading for the pea harvest but stalled because they have no money to buy a trailer's

Oklahomans bound for Oregon along a highway in California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oklahomans bound for Oregon along a highway in California

Oklahoma sharecropper and family entering California, 1937. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oklahoma sharecropper and family entering California. Stalled on the desert near Indio, California

Young family, penniless, hitchhiking on U.S. Highway 99, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Young family, penniless, hitchhiking on U.S. Highway 99, California. The father, twenty-four, and the mother, seventeen, came from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, early in 1935

Young family, penniless, hitchhiking on U.S. Highway 99 in California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Young family, penniless, hitchhiking on U.S. Highway 99 in California. The father, twenty-four, and the mother, seventeen, came from Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Migrant worker from Oklahoma repairing tire on California highway, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant worker from Oklahoma repairing tire on California highway

Aged woman from Oklahoma, Kern County migrant camp, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Aged woman from Oklahoma. Kern County migrant camp, California

Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas. The people have left their home and connections in South Texas, and hope to reach the Arkansas Delta for work in the cotton fields. Penniless people

Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas. The people have left their home and connections in South Texas, and hope to reach the Arkansas Delta for work in the cotton fields. Penniless people

Migrant family from Oklahoma in Texas, alongside the road, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant family from Oklahoma in Texas. A family of six alongside the road. An example of how they fall between the relief agencies

Migrant family from Oklahoma in Texas, alongside the road, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant family from Oklahoma in Texas. A family of six alongside the road. An example of how they fall between the relief agencies

Migrant family from Oklahoma in Texas, alongside the road, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Migrant family from Oklahoma in Texas. A family of six alongside the road. An example of how they fall between the relief agencies

Housing for Oklahoma refugees, California, Kern County, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Housing for Oklahoma refugees. California, Kern County

Grandmother from Oklahoma and her pieced quilt, California, Kern County, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Grandmother from Oklahoma and her pieced quilt. California, Kern County

Shack in "Little Oklahoma", California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Shack in "Little Oklahoma." Lots 50 x 150, cost one hundred and twenty to two hundred dollars. Bought on hope and sold on promises. No work since last fall

Freight car converted into house in "Little Oklahoma, " California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Freight car converted into house in "Little Oklahoma, " California

Oklahomans trying to make a new start in California, Near Los Angeles, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Oklahomans trying to make a new start in California. Near Los Angeles

Radiator and license of Oklahoma cotton picker's car, San Joaquin Valley, California, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Radiator and license of Oklahoma cotton picker's car. San Joaquin Valley, near Fresno, California

Tubercular mother from Oklahoma now living in the Kern migrant camp (resettlement), CA, 1936. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Tubercular mother from Oklahoma now living in the Kern migrant camp (resettlement), California. She receives daily visits from the county nurse

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"Okie: Capturing the Resilience and Struggles of Migrant Workers in 1930s America" In the midst of the Great Depression, Florence Thompson, a 32-year-old mother of seven, found herself at a camp for migrant workers in Nipomo, California. Dorothea Lange's iconic photograph "Migrant Mother" immortalized her strength and determination to provide for her family. Meanwhile, in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, life went on with moments of joy amidst hardship. Square dances brought communities together as they sought solace and connection through music and dance. Russell Lee's photographs captured scenes from these lively gatherings - couples twirling around the dance floor and an orchestra playing during intermission. But not all Okies were able to find respite within their own communities. The cotton strike near Shafter, California forced families from Oklahoma into further uncertainty. Dorothea Lange documented their struggle as they fought for fair working conditions while being uprooted from their homes. Lange also shed light on the harsh realities faced by migratory families living in labor camps across California's Imperial Valley. In Calpatria and Brawley, she photographed children growing up amidst poverty and uncertainty - daughters helping their families survive in FSA labor camps or grandmothers toiling away in pea fields. These images serve as a reminder of both the resilience and vulnerability that defined this era. The Okies' journey was marked by perseverance against adversity - whether it be seeking work thousands of miles away from home or fighting for better treatment amid challenging circumstances. The photographs taken by Dorothea Lange and Russell Lee capture a chapter in American history that should never be forgotten; one that reminds us of the strength found within individuals facing unimaginable challenges. Through these images, we gain insight into the lives led by those labeled "Okies, " shedding light on their struggles but also celebrating their unwavering spirit.