Child Labor Reform Photographs

In Class Assignment: Efforts to Reform Child Labor

Examine the eight photographs taken by photographer Lewis W. Hine around the turn of the century.

For each photograph consider the following questions: (Copy the following and post it to your blog. Title: Child Labor Reform Photographs Labels: Child_Labor, Progressive_Era )


Objective Assessment


As you view each photograph take note about what you see. (note people, background, objects) Pretend you were describing the image to someone who could not see it. Try to avoid making judgments.

Where are these children? List any clues relating to their surroundings.
Describe any tools or objects you see.
Describe their clothing. What do their clothes reveal about their work?

Subjective Assessment


What questions do you have about each of these photographs?
Based on your observations, list three things you might infer about the lives of these children. (Be sure to consider Hine's notes about the photographs when considering this.


Photograph A
-The child is a girl working in the Cotton Mill. There is a long line of what looks like machines to make thread, looms maybe, behind the girl. Concrete walls suggest a large factory-esque building.

-She does not look old enough to work and looks dirty and tired. Her clothing is wrinkled and dirty. She has a worried look on her face.

- The life of this child, though short lived, seems a struggle. Working many hours and sometimes into the night shows on her tired little face. Was anyone in the time keeping tabs on the workers in factories? Did they make sure employers were following the laws regarding child labor?

Photograph B
-The girls seem to be standing in front of the company they work at.

-Their are all wearing similiar clothing and some have a very disgruntled look on their faces. None of them look overjoyed yet two still smile.

-None of the girls look very unhealthy so they seem well fed. They all carry a very unhappy look though which suggest that their factory days are not that enjoyable. Once again i can draw from this that their lives are full of hard work, struggle, and little pay. Even poor hygene is shown.

Photograph C
-The girl is standing between two rows of looms. The floor is scattered with cotton.

-This young girl can be no more than nine. She is very tiny and he standing next to those huge machines definatley shows that. She is barefoot and wears a very plain dress similiar to those in other photos.

-The overseer of this company states that he does not really want to put them to work but they just show up. In my opinion, the fact that they are young and do not understand the concept of fair wage could be used to the advantage of the company. More product and the luxory of keeping a good amount of profits. This childs life is just not fair all around because she should not be working at that age.

Photograph D
-This photo is taken on a city street. It is raining and there are people in nice suits and hats walking the street.

-The boy in this photo is wearing poor clothes for standing in the rain. He looks about 7 years old and his size is shown in comparison to the adults around him.

-Who would be the employers of street workers? This childs life seems very dificult. He is exposed to the weather and wrong doings of the streets. Also the boy seems very desperate to earn money.

Photograph E
-The surroundings of the boys in this photo is so dusty. Working in this dust caused much harm to the boys health. The boys sit on makeshift chairs.

-These boys look dirty and sick. All of them look no more than 15. Their clothes are all very similiar to eachother. Also, we see the abuse that was put forth with other children prodding the young boys so they will obey.

-The boys in this photo must be very desperate for money. Putting their health in danger to earn their keep. Why would the parents of these children allow them to do this? Were children dying because of the coal?

Photograph F
-The boys in this photo are surrounded by various machines. There seems to be a heavy smoke in the right corner of the photo probably from the fire for the glass.

-The boy's age seems to range from 13-17. Their clothes are ripped and dirty from the ash. They are many boys cramped into the one tiny room.

-The lives of these boys does seem rough but for some reason they dont look as depressed, tired, or sick as others in the different photos. There seems to be a strange pride about these boys.

Photograph G
-There is a long table with Oysters on it and baskets for the oysters. Also there is what looks like piles of wood in the corner.

-The photo shows men, women, and children and even two babies. the babies are not shucking but all other persons are. There is one man that seems to be an overseer in the way back of the photo. They all look disheveled hair in bandanas, sleeves rolled back working hard.

-Im curious as to whether families chose these sort of work enviroments so that their children could be close to them. These people look as though they could be immigrants or lower class people that need all the money they can get therefore putting their children to work. Whats an oyster shucker?

Photograph H

-The children are going to work at around 6pm. There is rain and it is in December. One can only guess it is cold.

-The children here are not dressed appropriatly for the cold. Most of the girls have makeshift hoods for their heads. The statement about the sisters with the lazy father shows that some children working late into the night were only doing so to support their lazy parents.

-This picture has to be the saddest of them all. Young children should not be working and the fact that some were only working to support parents who are quite capable of working angers me even more. This kids lives must be miserable, lonely, and unsatisfying. When they begin to work this young all they know is work. They may have found that as a value back then but to me its a bit twisted.