Florence Owens Thompson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Florence Owens Thompson
Migrant Mother, taken by Dorothea Lange in 1936
Born	Florence Leona Christie (1903-09-01)September 1, 1903 Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma)
Died	September 16, 1983(1983-09-16) (aged 80) Scotts Valley, California, U.S.
Resting place	Lakewood Memorial Park, Hughson, California
Nationality	American
Occupation	Agricultural laborer
Known for	Dorothea Lange's photograph
Spouse(s)	Cleo Owens (1921–1931; his death) George B. Thompson (1952–1974)
Partner(s)	Jim Hill (1933–19??)
Children	10 (7 by Owens and 3 by Hill)

Florence Owens Thompson (born Florence Leona Christie; September 1, 1903 – September 16, 1983) was an American woman. She became famous as the subject of Dorothea Lange's photograph Migrant Mother (1936). This picture is seen as a very important image of the Great Depression. The Library of Congress called the photo: "Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children. Age thirty-two. Nipomo, California."

Florence Thompson's Life Story

Florence Leona Christie was born on September 1, 1903. This was in Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma. Her parents said they were of Cherokee descent. Her mother later married Charles Akman. The family lived on a small farm near Tahlequah.

When she was 17, Florence married Cleo Owens on February 14, 1921. He was a farmer's son. They soon had their first daughter, Violet. Then came another daughter, Viola, and a son, Leroy (Troy). The family moved west to Oroville, California. They worked in sawmills and on farms there. In 1931, Florence was expecting her sixth child when her husband Cleo died.

Florence then worked hard in fields and restaurants. She needed to support her six children. In 1933, she had another child. She went back to Oklahoma for a short time. Then she moved with her parents to Shafter, California. There, Florence met Jim Hill. They had three more children together.

During the 1930s, Florence and her family were migrant farm workers. This means they moved around to follow the crops. They worked in California and sometimes in Arizona. Florence remembered picking 400 to 500 pounds of cotton. She would work from early morning until it was too dark to see. She said she did "a little bit of everything" to earn money for her kids.

After World War II, Florence met and married George Thompson. He worked in a hospital. This marriage gave her much more financial stability.

The Famous Migrant Mother Photo

On March 6, 1936, Florence and her family were traveling. They were hoping to find work picking lettuce. Their car broke down near a pea-pickers' camp in Nipomo, California. They were surprised to see so many people there, about 2,500 to 3,500. A notice had called for pickers, but freezing rain had ruined the crops. This left the workers without jobs or money.

Florence later said that when she cooked food for her children, other hungry children from the camp came asking for a bite. While her partner, Jim Hill, and two of her sons went to get car parts, Florence and some children set up a temporary camp.

At that moment, photographer Dorothea Lange drove up. She was working for the government. Lange took seven pictures of Florence and her family in about ten minutes.

Lange's notes for the photos were usually very detailed. But this time, she was rushing to go home. So, her notes for these pictures were not very specific. Years later, Lange wrote about meeting Florence. She said she didn't talk much to the woman.

According to Florence, Lange promised the photos would not be published. But Lange sent them to the San Francisco News right away. The newspaper printed the pictures and reported that thousands of migrant workers were starving. Within days, the camp received 20,000 pounds of food from the government. Florence and her family had already moved on by then.

Florence's identity was not known for over 40 years. But the photos became very famous. The image known as Migrant Mother became a symbol of the Great Depression. Many people called it the "ultimate" photo of that time. It was seen as one of the most important human documents ever captured in pictures.

Florence's identity was discovered in the late 1970s. A reporter found her in her mobile home in Modesto. Florence said she wished Lange hadn't taken her picture. She said she never got any money from it. She also said Lange promised to send her a copy but never did. Since Lange worked for the government, the photo was in the public domain. This means anyone could use it, and Lange didn't earn money from it. However, the picture did make Lange famous.

In 1938, the photo was changed a little. Florence's thumb was removed from the bottom right corner of the picture.

How the Photo Circulated

In the late 1960s, Bill Hendrie found the original Migrant Mother photo. He also found 31 other old photos by Dorothea Lange. They were in a dumpster. Years later, his daughter rediscovered them. In 2005, someone bought these 32 photos for $296,000 at an auction.

In 1998, the retouched Migrant Mother photo became a 32-cent U.S. Postal Service stamp. This was part of a series called "Celebrate the Century." It was unusual because Florence's daughters were still alive. Usually, the Postal Service waits until a person has been dead for at least 10 years.

In the same month the stamp came out, a print of the photo with Lange's notes sold for $244,500. In 2002, Lange's own print of Migrant Mother sold for $141,500.

Later Life and Legacy

Thompson (seated) with three of her daughters (from L. to R.), Katherine, Ruby and Norma, in 1979; 43 years after Migrant Mother

In the 1970s, Florence's children bought her a house in Modesto, California. But she liked living in a mobile home more, so she moved back into one.

In August 1983, Florence was in the hospital. Her family asked for financial help. By September, they had collected $35,000 in donations for her medical care. Florence died on September 16, 1983, at age 80. She was buried in Hughson, California. Her gravestone says: "FLORENCE LEONA THOMPSON Migrant Mother – A Legend of the Strength of American Motherhood."

In 2008, one of Florence's daughters, Katherine McIntosh, spoke about her mother. She remembered her as a "very strong lady" and "the backbone of our family." She said, "We never had a lot, but she always made sure we had something. She didn't eat sometimes, but she made sure us children ate."

Her son, Troy Owens, said that over 2,000 letters came with donations for his mother. He said this made them see the photo differently. "For Mama and us, the photo had always been a bit of [a] curse. After all those letters came in, I think it gave us a sense of pride."

Other Photos from the Series

Dorothea Lange took seven photos that day. The last one became Migrant Mother. Here are the other six photos:

• 

  Collection of the Oakland Museum of California

• 

  Farm Security Administration–Office of War Information Photograph Collection, Library of Congress

• 

  Collection of the Oakland Museum of California

• 

  Farm Security Administration–Office of War Information Photograph Collection, Library of Congress

• 

  Farm Security Administration–Office of War Information Photograph Collection, Library of Congress

• 

  Farm Security Administration–Office of War Information Photograph Collection, Library of Congress

See also

In Spanish: Florence Owens Thompson para niños