The Photos that Shocked America:
The Horrors of Child Labor Exposed by Lewis Hine
Thesis
The National Child Labor Committee hired Lewis Hine in 1908 to take pictures of the horrible working conditions for children. These photos communicated the atrocities of child labor in America and helped people understand that they had to take action. Hine’s photography helped Americans understand the working conditions children faced and led to the passing of the Fair Standards Act of 1938, restricting the use of child labor.
Sadie Pfeifer, one of the many small children at work in Lancaster Cotton Mills. November 30, 1908, National Child Labor Committee collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
Header Photo Credit: Ten Year Old Spinner in N. Carolina Cotton Mill, 1908, National Child Labor Committee collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.