I happened upon some photographs in the Library of Congress by Lewis Wickes Hine.  Hine traveled from New England to Appalachia to the South, documenting the working conditions at establishments that hired young children. You can see the poverty on the children and that they were all taking on work that today would be considered out of the question for a child.  Because they are children, there is a little hopefulness and innocence in each one.

The photos are fascinating but Hine’s commentary is the most interesting. Sometimes he wrote a terse note and other times he railed in obvious anger at a system that allowed young children to work in dangerous conditions. In most instances, he said nothing about the parents, no doubt recognizing many parents didn’t have a choice.

I’m going to separate these photos into three posts. This post includes a variety of photos, showing children of different ages working in the mills, the fields, and the streets. The next post will be specific to the girls working in the mills and will include an amazing video. No spoilers! The last post will be the photographs that earned the most fiery ire from Hine.

The photographs are in chronological order and most of the commentary is from Hine. I have a few comments in italics.

April 1909. One of the young spinners in the Quidwick Co. Mill. Anthony, R.I. (A Polish boy Willie) who was taking his noon rest in a doffer-box.  Location: Anthony, Rhode Island.

July 1909. Some of the workers in a Md. packing company. Location: [Maryland]

These children are awfully little. There’s an infant in the front row! Can you imagine them inside a packing company, crawling around through box cutters and cardboard? 

November 1909. Young negroes working in Cape May Glass Co., N.J. Been there some time. Location: Cape May, New Jersey.

The little boys on the left look way too young for this kind of work. 

Nov 1911. Watchman Stanislaus Fabara, 59 Exchange St. Works in cloth room. The day before he gave me his name as Frank Fabara and today said it was wrong. “We give wrong names when we think trouble is coming.” Two other boys here acknowledge giving me wrong names also. Location: Chicopee, Massachusetts.

It’s interesting the children knew they were “supposed” to lie. I wonder if the adult on the right was there to keep the photographer from asking too many questions?

May 1912. Some of the young boys working Pelzer, S.C. Mfg. Co. Some of these workers seem surely near 12 years. May 27, 1912. Location: [Pelzer, South Carolina].

October 1913. Millie. Four year old cotton picker on farm near Houston. Picks about eight pounds a day, regularly. See #3598. Location: Houston [vicinity], Texas.

Four years old. One shoe. 

October 1913. The cotton pickers on this farm were temporary neighbors to the owner. Four adults and seven children. The latter as follows: one six year old boy picks one hundred pounds a day. His father said “He picks one hundred pounds every day.” Two children of seven pick one hundred and fifty pounds a day each. One of nine years picks about two hundred pounds. Several from ten to fifteen pick three to four hundred pounds. The whole group picks a bale a day. Location: McKinney [vicinity], Texas.

I have no doubt these adults relied on the children to avoid starvation. I have mixed feelings about the father being proud of his 6-year-old son for picking 100 pounds of cotton a day.

1913.  [Messenger?] Location: [San Antonio, Texas?]

This looks like it may be a house of prostitution. I wrote a couple of posts in 2021 about messenger boys who took messages to and from the brothels in the red light districts of the south.

Aug 2, 1917. Group of tobacco pickers in Bermant plantation, 3 were 10 yrs, 3 were 11 yrs, 13 were 12 yrs, 12 were 13 yrs, 2-14 yrs old. The owner said, “They all get $1.25 a day.” Location: Rockwell, Connecticut.

These children look so poor and hungry. I bet you there were a few that were not yet 10 years old.

October 1921. School in Session – (Sunset school). (See Photo No. 18.) Location: [Pocahontas County]–Marey, West Virginia / Photo by L.W. Hine.

See what a difference it makes putting this photo last? If it was first, we would probably judge it pretty differently. As the last one, it’s almost a relief!