Hine was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on September 26, 1874. After his father was killed in an accident, Hine began working and saved his money for a college education. He studied sociology at the University of Chicago, Columbia University and New York University. He became a teacher in New York City at the Ethical Culture School, where he encouraged his students to use photography as an educational medium.[2]
Hine led his sociology classes to Ellis Island in New York Harbor, photographing the thousands of immigrants who arrived each day. Between 1904 and 1909, Hine took over 200 plates (photographs) and came to the realization that documentary photography could be employed as a tool for social change and reform.[1]
Documentary photography
In 1907, Hine became the staff photographer of the Russell Sage Foundation; he photographed life in the steel-making districts and people of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the influential sociological study called The Pittsburgh Survey.
In 1908, Hine became the photographer for the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC), leaving his teaching position. Over the next decade, Hine documented child labor, with focus on the use of child labor in the Carolina Piedmont,[3] to aid the NCLC's lobbying efforts to end the practice.[4] In 1913, he documented child laborers among cotton mill workers with a series of Francis Galton's composite portraits.
Hine's work for the NCLC was often dangerous. As a photographer, he was frequently threatened with violence or even death by factory police and foremen. At the time, the immorality of child labor was meant to be hidden from the public. Photography was not only prohibited but also posed a serious threat to the industry.[5] To gain entry to the mills, mines and factories, Hine was forced to assume many guises. At times he was a fire inspector, postcard vendor, bible salesman, or even an industrial photographer making a record of factory machinery.[6]
During and after World War I, he photographed American Red Cross relief work in Europe. In the 1920s and early 1930s, Hine made a series of "work portraits," which emphasized the human contribution to modern industry. In 1930, Hine was commissioned to document the construction of the Empire State Building. He photographed the workers in precarious positions while they secured the steel framework of the structure, taking many of the same risks that the workers endured. To obtain the best vantage points, Hine was swung out in a specially-designed basket 1,000 ft above Fifth Avenue.[7] At times, he remembered, he hung above the city with nothing below but "a sheer drop of nearly a quarter-mile."[8]
"Power house mechanic working on steam pump" (1920)
During the Great Depression Hine again worked for the Red Cross, photographing drought relief in the American South, and for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), documenting life in the mountains of eastern Tennessee. He also served as chief photographer for the Works Progress Administration's National Research Project, which studied changes in industry and their effect on employment. Hine was also a faculty member of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School.
Later life
In 1936, Hine was selected as the photographer for the National Research Project of the Works Projects Administration, but his work there was not completed.
The last years of his life were filled with professional struggles by loss of government and corporate patronage. Hine hoped to join the Farm Security Administration photography project, but despite writing repeatedly to Roy Stryker, Stryker always refused.[9] Few people were interested in his work, past or present, and Hine lost his house and applied for welfare. He died on November 3, 1940, at Dobbs Ferry Hospital in Dobbs Ferry, New York, after an operation. He was 66 years old.[10]
Legacy
Hine's photographs supported the NCLC's lobbying to end child labor, and in 1912 the Children's Bureau was created. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 eventually brought child labour in the US to an end.[5]
After Hine's death, his son Corydon donated his prints and negatives to the Photo League, which was dismantled in 1951. The Museum of Modern Art was offered his pictures and did not accept them, but the George Eastman Museum did.[11]
In 2006, author Elizabeth Winthrop Alsop's historical fiction middle-grade novel, Counting on Grace was published by Wendy Lamb Books. The latter chapters center on 12-year-old Grace and her life-changing encounter with Hine, during his 1910 visit to a Vermont cotton mill known to have many child laborers. On the cover is the iconic photo of Grace's real-life counterpart, Addie Card[12] (1897–1993), taken during Hine's undercover visit to the Pownal Cotton Mill.
In 2016, Time published colorized versions of several of Hine's photographs of child labor in the US.[13]
Collections
Hine's work is held in the following public collections:
Library of Congress – over 5,000 photographs, including examples of Hine's child labor and Red Cross photographs, his work portraits, and his WPA and TVA images.
House Calls (2006 film), a documentary about physician and photographer Mark Nowaczynski, who was inspired by Hine to photograph elderly patients.[19]
References
^ abTroncale, Anthony T. . New York Public Library. Archived from the original on March 8, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
^Smith-Shank, Deborah L. (March 2003). "Lewis Hine and His Photo Stories: Visual Culture and Social Reform". Art Education. 56 (2): 33–37. ISSN 0004-3125. OCLC 96917501.
^"Spinner in Vivian Cotton Mills, Cherryville, N.C.: Been at it 2 years. Where will her good looks be in ten years?". World Digital Library. November 1908. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
^The American Quarterly, 'Lewis Hine: From "Social" to "Interpretive" Photographer, Peter Seixas
^ abMurphy, Adrian (September 2019). "Children in the machine: Lewis Hine's photography and child labour reform". Europeana (CC By-SA). Retrieved September 27, 2019.
^Rosenblum, Walter. Foreword. America & Lewis Hine: Photographs 1904–1940:. Comp. Marvin Israel (1977). New York: Aperture, up. 9–15. Print.
^Troncale, Anthony T. . New York Public Library. Archived from the original on February 4, 2006. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
^"Icarus – The Photo that Flew". The Attic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
^Linda Gordon, Dorothea Lange: A Life Without Limits (New York: W. W. Norton, 2009), p. 206
^The New York Times; November 4, 1940; "Lewis W. Hine; Photographer Whose Pictures Showed Conditions in Factories", p. 19
^Goldberg, Vicki (September 13, 1998). "The new season / Photography: critic's choice; A Career That Moved From Man to Machine". The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
^Dullaway, Sanna (January 29, 2016). "Colorized Photos of Child Laborers Bring Struggles of the Past to Life". Time. from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
Photographs of Lewis Hine: Documentation of Child Labor | National Archives
David Joseph Marcou, 'Lewis Wickes Hine, 1874–1940: A Biographical Essay, with Photographs by Lewis Wickes Hine | University of Missouri
May 03, 2023
lewis, hine, lewis, wickes, hine, september, 1874, november, 1940, american, sociologist, muckraker, photographer, photographs, were, instrumental, bringing, about, passage, first, child, labor, laws, united, states, bornlewis, wickes, hine, 1874, september, 1. Lewis Wickes Hine September 26 1874 November 3 1940 was an American sociologist and muckraker photographer His photographs were instrumental in bringing about the passage of the first child labor laws in the United States 1 Lewis HineBornLewis Wickes Hine 1874 09 26 September 26 1874Oshkosh Wisconsin U S DiedNovember 3 1940 1940 11 03 aged 66 Hastings on Hudson New York U S EducationUniversity of Chicago Columbia University New York UniversityKnown forSocial reformMovementDocumentary social realismPatron s Russell Sage FoundationNational Child Labor CommitteeWorks Projects Administration Contents 1 Early life 2 Documentary photography 3 Later life 4 Legacy 5 Collections 6 Notable photographs 7 Gallery 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External linksEarly life EditHine was born in Oshkosh Wisconsin on September 26 1874 After his father was killed in an accident Hine began working and saved his money for a college education He studied sociology at the University of Chicago Columbia University and New York University He became a teacher in New York City at the Ethical Culture School where he encouraged his students to use photography as an educational medium 2 Brooklyn Museum Climbing into the Promised Land Ellis Island Lewis Wickes Hine Hine led his sociology classes to Ellis Island in New York Harbor photographing the thousands of immigrants who arrived each day Between 1904 and 1909 Hine took over 200 plates photographs and came to the realization that documentary photography could be employed as a tool for social change and reform 1 Documentary photography EditIn 1907 Hine became the staff photographer of the Russell Sage Foundation he photographed life in the steel making districts and people of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania for the influential sociological study called The Pittsburgh Survey Child laborers in glasswork Indiana 1908 Little Lottie a regular oyster shucker in Alabama Canning Co Bayou La Batre Alabama 1911 In 1908 Hine became the photographer for the National Child Labor Committee NCLC leaving his teaching position Over the next decade Hine documented child labor with focus on the use of child labor in the Carolina Piedmont 3 to aid the NCLC s lobbying efforts to end the practice 4 In 1913 he documented child laborers among cotton mill workers with a series of Francis Galton s composite portraits Hine s work for the NCLC was often dangerous As a photographer he was frequently threatened with violence or even death by factory police and foremen At the time the immorality of child labor was meant to be hidden from the public Photography was not only prohibited but also posed a serious threat to the industry 5 To gain entry to the mills mines and factories Hine was forced to assume many guises At times he was a fire inspector postcard vendor bible salesman or even an industrial photographer making a record of factory machinery 6 Soldier Thrown in Air 1917 National Gallery of Art During and after World War I he photographed American Red Cross relief work in Europe In the 1920s and early 1930s Hine made a series of work portraits which emphasized the human contribution to modern industry In 1930 Hine was commissioned to document the construction of the Empire State Building He photographed the workers in precarious positions while they secured the steel framework of the structure taking many of the same risks that the workers endured To obtain the best vantage points Hine was swung out in a specially designed basket 1 000 ft above Fifth Avenue 7 At times he remembered he hung above the city with nothing below but a sheer drop of nearly a quarter mile 8 Power house mechanic working on steam pump 1920 During the Great Depression Hine again worked for the Red Cross photographing drought relief in the American South and for the Tennessee Valley Authority TVA documenting life in the mountains of eastern Tennessee He also served as chief photographer for the Works Progress Administration s National Research Project which studied changes in industry and their effect on employment Hine was also a faculty member of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School Later life EditIn 1936 Hine was selected as the photographer for the National Research Project of the Works Projects Administration but his work there was not completed The last years of his life were filled with professional struggles by loss of government and corporate patronage Hine hoped to join the Farm Security Administration photography project but despite writing repeatedly to Roy Stryker Stryker always refused 9 Few people were interested in his work past or present and Hine lost his house and applied for welfare He died on November 3 1940 at Dobbs Ferry Hospital in Dobbs Ferry New York after an operation He was 66 years old 10 Legacy EditHine s photographs supported the NCLC s lobbying to end child labor and in 1912 the Children s Bureau was created The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 eventually brought child labour in the US to an end 5 After Hine s death his son Corydon donated his prints and negatives to the Photo League which was dismantled in 1951 The Museum of Modern Art was offered his pictures and did not accept them but the George Eastman Museum did 11 In 2006 author Elizabeth Winthrop Alsop s historical fiction middle grade novel Counting on Grace was published by Wendy Lamb Books The latter chapters center on 12 year old Grace and her life changing encounter with Hine during his 1910 visit to a Vermont cotton mill known to have many child laborers On the cover is the iconic photo of Grace s real life counterpart Addie Card 12 1897 1993 taken during Hine s undercover visit to the Pownal Cotton Mill In 2016 Time published colorized versions of several of Hine s photographs of child labor in the US 13 Collections EditHine s work is held in the following public collections Art Institute of Chicago Chicago IL 14 Albin O Kuhn Library amp Gallery of the University of Maryland Baltimore County almost five thousand NCLC photographs 15 George Eastman Museum thousands of photographs and negatives Library of Congress over 5 000 photographs including examples of Hine s child labor and Red Cross photographs his work portraits and his WPA and TVA images New York Public Library New York 16 International Photography Hall of Fame St Louis MO 17 Notable photographs EditYoung Doffers in the Elk Cotton Mills 1910 18 Steam Fitter 1920 Workers Empire State Building 1931 Gallery Edit Baseball team composed mostly of child laborers from a glassmaking factory Indiana 1908 Empire State Building worker in 1931 Raising the Mast Empire State Building 1932 See also EditHouse Calls 2006 film a documentary about physician and photographer Mark Nowaczynski who was inspired by Hine to photograph elderly patients 19 References Edit a b Troncale Anthony T About Lewis Wickes Hine New York Public Library Archived from the original on March 8 2007 Retrieved May 22 2007 Smith Shank Deborah L March 2003 Lewis Hine and His Photo Stories Visual Culture and Social Reform Art Education 56 2 33 37 ISSN 0004 3125 OCLC 96917501 Spinner in Vivian Cotton Mills Cherryville N C Been at it 2 years Where will her good looks be in ten years World Digital Library November 1908 Retrieved February 11 2013 The American Quarterly Lewis Hine From Social to Interpretive Photographer Peter Seixas a b Murphy Adrian September 2019 Children in the machine Lewis Hine s photography and child labour reform Europeana CC By SA Retrieved September 27 2019 Rosenblum Walter Foreword America amp Lewis Hine Photographs 1904 1940 Comp Marvin Israel 1977 New York Aperture up 9 15 Print Troncale Anthony T Facts about the Empire State Building New York Public Library Archived from the original on February 4 2006 Retrieved May 22 2007 Icarus The Photo that Flew The Attic Retrieved May 10 2019 Linda Gordon Dorothea Lange A Life Without Limits New York W W Norton 2009 p 206 The New York Times November 4 1940 Lewis W Hine Photographer Whose Pictures Showed Conditions in Factories p 19 Goldberg Vicki September 13 1998 The new season Photography critic s choice A Career That Moved From Man to Machine The New York Times Retrieved October 25 2010 Through the Mill Dullaway Sanna January 29 2016 Colorized Photos of Child Laborers Bring Struggles of the Past to Life Time Archived from the original on February 5 2016 Retrieved February 6 2016 Lewis Wickes Hine Art Institute of Chicago Lewis Hine Collection Search results NYPL Digital Collections digitalcollections nypl org Retrieved February 11 2019 Lewis Hine International Photography Hall of Fame Retrieved February 21 2020 Lewis Wickes Hine Young Doffers in the Elk Cotton Mills Fayetteville Tennessee 1910 Archived April 16 2013 at archive today at The Jewish Museum Brett MacLean Pamela May 27 2007 The elderly patient in situ CMAJ Canadian Medical Association Retrieved April 7 2009 Further reading EditFreedman Russell Kids at work Lewis Hine and the crusade against child labor Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 1994 Macieski Robert Picturing class Lewis W Hine photographs child labor in New England 2015 online Sampsell Willmann Kate Lewis Hine as social critic Univ Press of Mississippi 2009 excerptExternal links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lewis Hine Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lewis Hine category Lewis Wickes Hine University of Illinois Photographs of Lewis Hine Documentation of Child Labor National Archives David Joseph Marcou Lewis Wickes Hine 1874 1940 A Biographical Essay with Photographs by Lewis Wickes Hine University of Missouri Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lewis Hine amp oldid 1151900994, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
