Favorite Photographs 2016 #7, Dorothea Lange, “There’s no way like the American way, 1937”

Today’s Favorite Photograph is one of the great social commentary juxtaposition photographs of all time, Dorothea Lange’s, “There’s no way like the American way, 1937.” It shows African American men and women in Louisville, Kentucky, lining up to seek food and clothing from a relief station, in front of a billboard proclaiming, “World’s Highest Standard of Living.” This was taken during the Great Ohio River Flood of 1937. It is iconic and arguably Lange’s greatest image. It is a documentary of both its own time and all time. And it reminds us of the need for empathy and human kindness – a fundameental lesson that many have forgotten.