Lange’s eye on America

As an eloquent chronicler of the 20th century, San Francisco photographer Dorothea Lange took many images that captured the American experience before, during and after World War II. Her magnificent “Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California,” taken in 1936, has become a classic image of the Great Depression. About Life: The Photographs of Dorothea Lange, opening Tuesday at the J. Paul Getty Museum, features about 80 photographs drawn primarily from the Getty’s permanent collection. In addition to “Migrant Mother,” which the Getty purchased in 1998, the exhibition includes photographs taken for the Farm Security Administration and Life magazine.

J. Paul Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood. Ends Feb. 9. (310) 440-7300.