Lewis Hines
Depicting the Working Children of America
Lewis Hines was born on September 26, 1874 in the town of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Early on in his life his father passed away due to an accident. After that he lived with his mother and began to work in a factory and to save money so he could go through the rest of school. When it came to education, where he took courses in drawing and sculpture.. He studied sociology at Columbia University, New York University, and The University of Chicago.
After graduation Hine became a teacher in New York City at the Ethical Culture School. He soon found himself combining his two loves in teaching, sociology and photography. He took several his classes on a trip to Ellis Island in New York and had the students photograph the immigrants who entered every day. During this period 1904-1909 he took over 200 photographs and came to realize his true calling in life.
Lewis Hines pursued his dream in 1906 and started working as a staff photographer for the Russell Sage Foundation. He traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and photographed life in the steel industry for the Pittsburgh Survey, a sociological study. He published his photographs in 1907, accompanied by text as an essay in Charities and Commons, later known as Survey Magazine. Through his photographs and writings he regularly expressed his passionate opposition to child labor. In 1908 National Child Labor Committee enlisted Hines to be there investigative photographer and get the message out to the people. He quit his job as a teacher and followed his passion to stop the abuse of child labor. He felt such a strong calling because he experienced it as a child. Hine traveled around the country photographing the working conditions of children in all types of industries. He photographed children in coal mines, in meatpacking houses, in textile mills, and in canneries. He took pictures of children working in the streets as shoe shiners, newsboys, and hawkers. Lewis tricked his way into
Lewis Hines was born on September 26, 1874 in the town of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Early on in his life his father passed away due to an accident. After that he lived with his mother and began to work in a factory and to save money so he could go through the rest of school. When it came to education, where he took courses in drawing and sculpture.. He studied sociology at Columbia University, New York University, and The University of Chicago.
After graduation Hine became a teacher in New York City at the Ethical Culture School. He soon found himself combining his two loves in teaching, sociology and photography. He took several his classes on a trip to Ellis Island in New York and had the students photograph the immigrants who entered every day. During this period 1904-1909 he took over 200 photographs and came to realize his true calling in life.
Lewis Hines pursued his dream in 1906 and started working as a staff photographer for the Russell Sage Foundation. He traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and photographed life in the steel industry for the Pittsburgh Survey, a sociological study. He published his photographs in 1907, accompanied by text as an essay in Charities and Commons, later known as Survey Magazine. Through his photographs and writings he regularly expressed his passionate opposition to child labor. In 1908 National Child Labor Committee enlisted Hines to be there investigative photographer and get the message out to the people. He quit his job as a teacher and followed his passion to stop the abuse of child labor. He felt such a strong calling because he experienced it as a child. Hine traveled around the country photographing the working conditions of children in all types of industries. He photographed children in coal mines, in meatpacking houses, in textile mills, and in canneries. He took pictures of children working in the streets as shoe shiners, newsboys, and hawkers. Lewis tricked his way into