(Originally published on my Facebook page September 26, 2018.)
Lewis Hine: Mild-Mannered Hero for Children
Artists have a really bad reputation for sticking their creative noses where others think they shouldn't. Especially in social justice issues, artist are often the ones giving images, voices, faces and passion to the cause of a better world. Lewis Hine, born on this date in 1874, was “one of those” and he is one of my heroes.
From 1908 to 1917, Hine was a photographer, social reformer, and undercover detective all rolled into one. Working for the National Child Labor Committee, he visited factories, mills, and mines from the Northeast to the Deep South, taking photographs of child laborers and the conditions in which they worked. It was dangerous work, as factory owners were violently opposed to reforms, and he often gained access under assumed identities, like fire inspector or salesman. If he could not ask a child's age, he used tricks to gather information, such as measuring their height by the buttons on his vest.
Mostly self-taught, he went against the photographic style of his day by having children look directly into the camera, so the viewer couldn’t escape looking into their eyes. His work helped change public opinion and laws that protect our children today.
Hine went on to do other photographic work, enjoyed mild success, but unfortunately struggled professionally in later life. He died in 1940, mostly penniless. I honor you today, Lewis, for using your art to bring the needs of children into the light.
