The artwork titled “Ex Slave with Long Memory, Alabama” was created by Dorothea Lange around the year 1937. This piece belongs to the Social Realism art movement and is classified within the genre of photography.
The artwork depicts an elderly African American woman, presumably an ex-slave, clad in traditional work attire, including a headscarf, a striped apron, and a long-sleeved shirt beneath a worn jacket. She holds a stick or cane firmly with both hands, suggesting a sense of resilience and strength. The woman’s weathered face, adorned with hoop earrings, is expressive and bears witness to the hardships endured over years of toil. The background is blurred, insinuating a rural setting, which further emphasizes the isolation and stark reality of her life. Lange’s photograph captures not just a moment, but a story of endurance, suffering, and the profound depth of human memory etched in the woman’s demeanor.
