Child Labor Reform Photographs

Objective Assessment


As you view each photograph take note about what you see. (note people, background, objects) Pretend you were describing the image to someone who could not see it. Try to avoid making judgments.

Where are these children? List any clues relating to their surroundings.
Describe any tools or objects you see.
Describe their clothing. What do their clothes reveal about their work?

Subjective Assessment


What questions do you have about each of these photographs?
Based on your observations, list three things you might infer about the lives of these children. (Be sure to consider Hine's notes about the photographs when considering this.


Photograph A
-A girl in a factory (cotton mill)
-dirty clothing
-Since she works a lot and sometimes nights, she is probably very tired.
-48 cents a day
-not getting proper education because she is working

Photograph B
-5 young women
-dirty, tattered clothing
-they look extremely tired and overworked
-their hair is back so it wouldn't get caught in the machines they were working with

Photograph C
-a very young girl standing in the factory
-dirty clothing, no shoes
-the caption says the overseer told the photographer apologetically "she just happened in" and there were many children who "are helping sister"
-probably dangerous work, looking at the equiptment

Photograph D
-young "newsie", a small boy selling newspapers in the city
-he looks sad
-dirty
-he is spending his time selling newspapers instead of getting an education


Photograph E
-many boys working at a coal factory
-caption says and picture shows the dense dust that filled the air
-extremely dirty
-the boys are probably very unhealthy from breathing in the dust all day
-the caption says that there was a person who overlooked their work and prodded them to keep working when they weren't
-boys working when they should be at school

Photograph F
-young boys and teenagers working around multiple pipes, some coming out of the cieling
-very dirty
-many boys cluttered into a small space
-towards the left of the photograph, there are long metal pipes which is what the glass is spun on
-if it's a glass factory, the glass would have to be heated up so it would melt and this would be dangerous

Photograph G
-parents along with children working
-mothers had to bring even their babies to work
-there was a pit to throw the waste in and the children could slip and fall into it, very dangerous
-caption says that work started at 3:30 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m.
-no time for the children to get educated


Photograph H
-children outside waiting for their night shift to start- 6 p.m.-6 a.m.
-caption says that there are children working to supply thier family when thier father says he is not well enough to work, but he just hangs around at the country store
-caption also says that it had been raining, and it was December so it probably was extremely cold and they didn't have any "wraps"