During the early decades of the twentieth century, the number of child laborers in the United States boomed. As industrialization moved workers from farms and home workshops, into urban areas and factory work, children were often preferred. Factory owners viewed them as more manageable, cheaper, and less likely to strike. Therefore inciting the era of child labor in the United States. A man by the name of Lewis W. Hine began taking photographs of children in the workforce as a tool for social reform. Hine, along with his camera, saved children all throughout America by enabling the public to see the immorality of child labor. Hine’s photographs were, therefore, essential in changing child labor laws in the United States (Michael Herring).
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Hine worked as a janitor for a local bank to help his family out financially after his father passed away from a car accident in 1892. After several years of working, Hine worked his way up to become the supervising sweeper at the bank. Hine experienced first hand the exploitation of young workers and he was determined to escape this type of life (Lewis Hine). Hine attended the University of Chicago, Columbia University, and New York University where he studied sociology. Once he graduated, he taught in New York City at the Ethical Culture School, where he would encourage his students to use photography as an educational medium. While teaching, Hine would take his students to Ellis Island in the New York Harbor to photograph the thousands of immigrants arriving each and every day. Between the years 1904 and 1909, Hine realized that documentary photography could be used as a tool for social change and reform …show more content…
Over the next decade, Hine documented the use of child labor hoping to aid in the NCLC’s lobbying efforts to end the practice. Many years later, Hine documented child laborers among cotton mill workers with a series of composite portraits. Hine’s work for the NCLC was actually very dangerous at times. During the time period, the immorality of child labor was meant to be hidden from the public, so Hine was threatened and endangered quite often by factory police and foremen. Photography was not only restricted but also posed a serious threat to the child labor industry. Consequently, Hine had to assume many different disguises to gain entry to mills, mines, and factories. At times Hine would accept the role of a fire inspector, postcard vendor, bible salesman, or even an industrial photographer making a record of factory machinery (see Figure 1). This shows how determined Hine must have been to accomplish his goals of ending child labor
Hine worked as a janitor for a local bank to help his family out financially after his father passed away from a car accident in 1892. After several years of working, Hine worked his way up to become the supervising sweeper at the bank. Hine experienced first hand the exploitation of young workers and he was determined to escape this type of life (Lewis Hine). Hine attended the University of Chicago, Columbia University, and New York University where he studied sociology. Once he graduated, he taught in New York City at the Ethical Culture School, where he would encourage his students to use photography as an educational medium. While teaching, Hine would take his students to Ellis Island in the New York Harbor to photograph the thousands of immigrants arriving each and every day. Between the years 1904 and 1909, Hine realized that documentary photography could be used as a tool for social change and reform …show more content…
Over the next decade, Hine documented the use of child labor hoping to aid in the NCLC’s lobbying efforts to end the practice. Many years later, Hine documented child laborers among cotton mill workers with a series of composite portraits. Hine’s work for the NCLC was actually very dangerous at times. During the time period, the immorality of child labor was meant to be hidden from the public, so Hine was threatened and endangered quite often by factory police and foremen. Photography was not only restricted but also posed a serious threat to the child labor industry. Consequently, Hine had to assume many different disguises to gain entry to mills, mines, and factories. At times Hine would accept the role of a fire inspector, postcard vendor, bible salesman, or even an industrial photographer making a record of factory machinery (see Figure 1). This shows how determined Hine must have been to accomplish his goals of ending child labor