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Lewis Wickes Hine

(Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 1874 - 1940, Dobbs Ferry, New York)

Bridgeton, N. J., Nov. 1909

1909

Gelatin silver print

4 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (11.4 x 16.5 cm)

Collection of the Akron Art Museum

Gift of John Coplans

1978.4

More Information

Lewis Hine, considered by many to be the father of modern social documentary photography, spent more than a decade as the official photographer for the National Child Labor Committee. Between 1908 and 1921, Hine photographed rural and urban child laborers across the country. The resulting images were used in NCLC pamphlets, exhibits, and magazine advertisements, and helped to transform the nation’s attitudes and policies on child labor and welfare. Hine wrote captions for most of his photos, incorporating facts about the people and places depicted, and often with direct quotes from his subjects. These original captions, where available, are given, unedited, in quotation marks below. “Midnight scene, Cumberland Glass Works.” Glass factories operated around the clock. Most of the youngsters worked as glassblowers’ assistants; their typical wage was about sixty-five cents a day. Working conditions were hazardous and unhealthy; the average glass worker only lived into his early forties.

Keywords
Child laborers
Documentary
Photography
United States
Gelatin Silver