Lewis Hine’s documentary photographs of child workers played a vital role in influencing changes to the nation’s labor laws, but he was part of a much larger Progressive Reform Movement that stretched back to the early 19th century, according to Robert Macieski.
A history professor at the University of New Hampshire, Macieski gave a slide lecture at the Bennington Museum in conjunction its the current exhibition “Before Their Time: The Child Labor Photographs of Lewis Hine,†of 56 photographic prints capturing child-laborers in New England between 1909 and 1912. Macieski, whose scholarship focuses on the Progressive movement, is currently working on a book about Hine. The exhibit, on display through May 15 and assembled by the New Hampshire Historical Society, is of local interest because it includes shots of young textile mill workers in Bennington and Pownal, Vt.
“Of course, child labor existed long before industrialization,†Macieski told audience members Saturday afternoon. Indeed, children had always been expected to earn their keep around the house, on the farm, watching younger siblings or apprenticing a trade from parents. But the industrial revolution spawned a new type of work, the nature of which was particularly inhumane to young bodies and minds. For children, work had traditionally consisted of performing various, intermittent tasks around the homestead — often in direct preparation for their adult life. Industrial jobs, in stark contrast, were monotonous, repetitive and irrelevant. “Now, work was dictated by the factory bell,†he said. Work might consist of nothing more than monitoring, feeding and repairing a large, continuously spinning machine for 10, 12, or more hours each day. In the industrial age, children were the perfect workers: many machines were specifically designed to be operated only by their tiny hands.
The surge of industry increased demand for an unskilled work force. Immigrants, from Canada and Europe, created a hungry and desperate labor pool — and one unlikely to stand up against management. Working conditions were dangerous and little, if any, compensation was given for work-related injury. Working alongside adults, children developed the habits of adults: smoking, swearing, gambling. Perhaps the novelty in such perceived “freedom†excited these young workers early on, but most found later that they had sacrificed youth for earnings. “These were dead-end jobs, because you didn’t earn a trade,†said Macieski. “By the time you became an adult and were too old to run the machines, you had made some money, but what do you do now?â€
Macieski shared findings he has made while researching his forthcoming book. He sees some perhaps unexpected tendencies: for instance, many families that sent their children to work each day were not suffering from destitute poverty. It may have been, in some cases, that “Dad dropped off son at the factory and then headed over to the saloon.†And immigrant groups seemed to differ somewhat: statistically, the large French-Canadian families “seemed more willing to send the children off†to the mill, while Italian families tended to keep their kids at home. And some of the most egregious examples of child labor may have occurred in the home: often, companies would give ‘home work’ to young mothers, who would set up shop with their young daughters for the fabrication of collars, chain-loop bags, and other products that didn’t require a large facility.
Concern about these conditions had arisen long before Hine’s time. The first child-labor laws were passed in Connecticut in the early 1840s. Many other states followed suit, but enforcement was lax. For instance, in 1846 the New Hampshire legislature passed a “10-hour law,†which was intended to forbid children from working any more than 10 hours a day. But that law contained a clause that allowed children to work more hours if “it was agreed upon by the employer and employee.†So children were given a choice: agree to work more than 10 hours or find another job.
The Progressives take a stand
While all this is happening in the American labor force, other changes are taking place. New ideas and theories of child development, education and political philosophy are being cultivated by the likes of Jane Addams, John Dewey and Eugene Debs. In 1877, the first national labor strikes are led by railroad workers — “a violent, industrial warfare†in which workers fight openly for better working conditions. Socialism, anarchy, a psychological theory of the mind, are all affecting how people view and interpret their social, political and economic system. And not least of all, the photograph was changing — and expanding — how people viewed the world.
Born in Wisconsin in 1874, Lewis Hine attended the University of Chicago, then a center of the Progressive Movement. He worked under John Dewey, whose philosophies underscored the importance of education in developing life skills. In 1901, he moved to New York City to teach at the Ethical Culture Institute. For reasons unknown, he was given a camera, and by 1903 had taken hundreds of photographs of immigrants awaiting their fortune at Ellis Island — photos for which he is best known, along with his documentation of workmen building the Empire State Building.
Macieski singled out Florence Kelly as one of the most important precursors to Hine. Kelly began her career teaching evening courses for child workers living in Jane Addams’ settlement houses in Chicago. Struck by the plight of these children, the college-educated Kelly sought an appointment as the first factory inspector for the state of Illinois. She traveled from mill to mill asking the young workers about their ages, wages, daily routines and hours. She reported on details about injuries suffered on the job. Kelly’s is regarded as the first systematic social survey done, which led to the establishment of social science as a formal study and social work as a profession, according to Macieski. In much the same way, Hine’s photographs can be thought of as a gathering of graphical information, using what was then a new technology.
In the prewar years, reformers were at their height of influence. Particular emphasis was given toward drastic labor reforms in the South; the 1900 U.S. Census had found that 40 percent of the South’s work force was under age 14. Northern reformers — most of them educated, middle-class white people — became enchanted by the pathetic faces of an industry from which they had been sheltered. Hine’s photos of coal-mine workers in the South were particularly powerful: nine-year-olds who didn’t see the light of day. The photos were captioned with inflammatory statements, often giving names and ages of the subjects. Hine’s work was distributed through organizations such as the American Red Cross and the National Child Labor Committee.
The Progressives’ work was not considered finished until the Wagner Act of 1935, which established our modern child labor laws.
Macieski noted that child labor was largely a symptom of the same economic model that persists to this day: using the cheapest labor possible to get the cheapest product. And in other countries, child labor today is the norm. He said while there are many photographers documenting child labor in the “sweatshops†of Southeast Asia, China and elsewhere, they seem to have less of an impact on changing the minds of today’s viewers. “We are inundated with horrible images all the time,†he said. Hine’s photos carried a weight in part because they were new and unique: they showed a way of life altogether foreign to the middle-class person reading a magazine or Progressive newsletter.
Today, the majority of Hine’s prints and negatives can be found in three main institutions: the George Eastman House in Rochester, N.Y., the University of Maryland at Baltimore, and in the Library of Congress. For those seeking a smaller, closer-to-home sample, the Bennington Museum is open six days a week: call (802) 447-1571.
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Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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