I haven't been in the Mississippi Delta for a while, but as recently as 10 years ago around Leland (site of the Aldridge Plantation) up through Clarksdale, there were still some of these old shacks scattered around. While it's hard to believe, some of them were still lived in.

I expect that among Shorpy's many viewers are people in the fashion design business. I can imagine seeing that simple, practical outfit in a catalog one or two years from now, albeit with (in Morty Seinfeld's words) cheap fabric and low lighting.

The material world is fast encroaching upon my eight-year-old daughter's values and expectations. She and I will sit down for a discussion or two about the subjects in Dorothea Lange's photos. It is through these photos that I hope to explain the role of human character.