Lewis Hine: Social Justice and Child Labor

One of the most influential social documentary photographers of the 20th century, Lewis Hine dedicated his practice to capturing images of children toiling in factories. His powerful photographs told the story of children's abuse as workers and helped influence the creation of labor laws in the United States.

In 1908, the National Child Labor Committee commissioned Lewis Hine to photograph conditions of child labor in America. With the surge of the Industrial Revolution, factories and mills sought unskilled labor. While a child may have previously worked on their family’s farm or shop, a promise of higher wages lured many families to send their children to work in cities. Hine’s photographs are often accredited as one of the driving forces for inciting the American population to demand an end to child labor.

Despite the difficult lighting and locations, Hine managed to create thoughtful and provocative compositions that capture the child’s exhaustion, pain, and anguish. The Frost Art Museum organized this exhibition to complement FIU’s Common Reading Program and First Year Experience courses.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

In his book, Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor,  Hines's photographs of children at work were so devastating that they convinced the American people that Congress must pass child labor laws.

To add this book of remarkable images to your library, click here: Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor