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 Hine’s photos depict young kids working a variety of jobs and they stand as powerful historical documents.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?

2. Cynical kids

3. Covered

4. Look at those head torches

5. Farmhand

6. Gatherer

7. Textile mill of some sort

8. Are those kids?

9. Very self assured

10. Jeez, she must be 7

11. Yearning for something else

12. Standing barefoot on heavy machinery

13. Trying to smike

14. Looking very intently

15. Napping

16. Newsie

17. Injured

18. Selling flowers, maybe?

19. Looking right at us

20. There’s only one real adult in this picture

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.