Before sweeping child labor laws were passed in the U.S. in 1938, young children toiled at dangerous jobs and worked in mines and mills with no oversight.
Lewis Hine (1874-1940) worked as a photographer for the National Child Labor Committee, crusading against the dangers and the immorality of child labor in America. Hine’s photos depict young kids working a variety of jobs and they stand as powerful historical documents.
1. Canning, maybe?
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
2. Cynical kids
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
3. Covered
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
4. Look at those head torches
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
5. Farmhand
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
6. Gatherer
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
7. Textile mill of some sort
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
8. Are those kids?
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
9. Very self assured
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
10. Jeez, she must be 7
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
11. Yearning for something else
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
12. Standing barefoot on heavy machinery
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
13. Trying to smike
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
14. Looking very intently
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
15. Napping
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
16. Newsie
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
17. Injured
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
18. Selling flowers, maybe?
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
19. Looking right at us
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
20. There’s only one real adult in this picture
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
So glad we’re not still dealing with child labor – but don’t forget, this is still a pervasive problem, globally. According to the Human Rights Watch, over 70 million children around the world still work in conditions very similar to the ones in these photos.
