Working Through Childhood Courtney Emerson

Working through Childhood A Photographic Journey The following photographs were taken in the early 1900’s by Lewis Hine. These and thousands of similar photographs were taken by Hine to be used as evidence in an investigation led by the National Child Labor Committee regarding the working conditions faced by millions of children. Each photograph captures the flash of a young soul waiting to be given back their childhood. Lewis Hine and other social reformers advocated for the protection of children in the workplace, however it wasn’t until society began viewing these photographs in newspapers and magazines that a halt came to the exploitation of children.

Lewis Hine dedicated much of his life to changing the mindset of a society focused on exploiting children. In 1912 the Children’s Bureau was founded to protect and regulate children in the workplace. In 1913 it was renamed the Department of Labor. If it had not been for the photographs which captured the realities of our nation, more children could have been lost.