PICTURE ANALYSIS

Child Labor in America: Analysis of Photographs by Lewis

Child Labor in America: Analysis of Photographs by Lewis

Thesis Statement

Taking pictures and accompanying them with notes is a kind of to help expose the harsh and dangerous conditions faced by children who worked on fields, factories, mines, and other areas of industry that required manual labor.

Introduction to Photographer

Lewis W. Hine started his series of photographs for the NCLC in 1907, taking pictures and accompanying them with notes to help expose the harsh and dangerous conditions faced by children who worked on fields, factories, mines, and other areas of industry that required manual labor. In the beginning of Hine's career working for the NCLC, he was just a freelance photographer—paid for each picture he gave to the committee and was published in various newspapers throughout the country, raising awareness for their cause. Hine became a full-time investigator for the NCLC in 1908, and from that point forward, his role in the eradication of child labor became more pronounced.

What Lewis W. Hine wanted to show in the picture

Lewis W. Hine exposed the exploitation of child labor in Child Labor in America 1908 to 1912 by making America aware of the harsh realities faced by children workers across the country. Through his employment with the NCLC, Hine was able to expose their dangerous working conditions through the novel medium of photography. During this time, photography wasn't the wide-spread media outlet that it is today, so by having Hine take pictures of actual child laborers, in the context of their working environment, the public was exposed to a part of America they may or may not have known existed.1 Hine's ability to get into the factories and mills without the suspicion of factory bosses allowed for him to get candid, honest pictures, that when published in major news publications by the NCLC, along with his descriptions, raised public awareness.

Historical context

According to Posever Curtis and Mallach, the fact that Hine's photographs were in mass circulation, and that no other committee had used photography to this extent to fuel reform, made Hine's photographs all the more powerful. His novel approach of exposing the working conditions through this medium allowed for those who wouldn't normally see children workers on a day-to-day basis know that part of America really did exist, and wasn't just embellished by the NCLC. Posever Curtis and Mallach also mention that many of the publications in which Hine's pictures could be found were often read by the middle and upper classes—the groups that had the most influence over congress. By exposing these people, who were previously detached from the NCLC's cause see actual depictions of child labor, they were made aware that these conditions actually do exist for these young workers.

What can the photo tell us about gender roles

Hine's approach to photographing the children also aided in exposing how they were being exploited, to other parts of America. In Child Labor in America 1908 to 1912!, it is noted that Hine had an inventive ...