Learning to See

About the book

In 1918, a brave twenty-two-year-old woman arrives in bohemian San Francisco from the Northeast with a determination to forge her own path as an independent woman. Rechristening herself as Dorothea Lange, she quickly becomes the celebrated owner of the city's most prestigious and stylish portrait studio. She also becomes the wife of the talented but volatile painter, Maynard Dixon.

As the economy of America collapses in the early 1930s, her marriage starts to crumble and Dorothea must support her two young sons on her own. She decides to shed light on the atrocious conditions of the nation's poor by hitting the road with her camera, capturing images that bring about inspiration, reform, and define the era. Even when the United States joins World War II, Dorothea opts to take on another injustice by standing up against the unjust incarceration of thousands of innocent Japanese Americans.

In an era when women were expected to stay at home, Dorothea Lange, the creator of some of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century, went against the grain. However, her unconventional choices came with a high cost...