Let Children be Children

Lewis Wickes Hine (American, 1874-1940) was a sociologist whose photographs captured his abiding concern for children, immigrants, and working-class people. He was hired by the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) in 1906 to document the harsh conditions in which children worked. Hine spent ten years photographing in the canneries, coal mines, cotton mills, farms, and sweatshops common during the early 20th century. Through the use of photography, Hine and the NCLC endeavored to gain the attention of the government and arouse public sentiment against child labor practices in the United States.

A telling look at the industrialization of America, this exhibition reveals the circumstances that poor working children endured until legislation against child labor prevailed as late as 1938.

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