John Dempsey (looked 11 or 12 years old) who said he helped only on Saturdays, working faithfully in the mule spinning room. Jackson Mill, Fiskeville, Rhode Island, April, 1909.
Labor Day is not simply a day to commemorate the end of summer; sometimes it's good to remind ourselves that it is meant to honor workers, and that we have come a long way as a nation since the holiday was established in 1894, soon after the terrible violence of the Pullman Strike. Thinking about this, I dug up my old book of photographs of workers by the passionate reformer, sociologist turned photographer, Lewis Hine (1874 - 1940): Lewis W. Hine and the American Social Conscience. His images of children at work are heartbreaking, and powerful.
A view of the Pennsylvania Breaker. The dust was so dense at times as to obscure the view. South Pittston, Pennsylvania, 1911.
Hine was the photographer for the National Child Labor Committee for 10 years beginning in 1908. It is shocking to read the history, at the link, of attempts at reform of child labor laws. The Owen-Keating Act of 1916, meant to outlaw child labor, was deemed unconstitutional in 1918. It wasn't until 1938 that the Fair Labor Standards Act prohibited "oppressive child labor". And the "breaker boys" above were certainly oppressed, as they worked in awful conditions to separate coal from its impurities.
Neil Gallagher, Worked Two Years in Breaker. Leg Crushes Between Cars. Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, November 1909.
Indiana Glass Works, 9 PM, 1908
Young boys in the glass industry were known as "blowers dogs" who carried the product from the glass blower to the cooling oven. It was another dangerous and unhealthy occupation.
Leo, 48 inches high, 8 years old, picks up bobbins at 15 cents a day. Fayetteville, Tennessee. November, 1910.
Even a small child has great dignity through Hine's eye. Lewis Hine brought these individuals, their lives and work, to the attention of a wide public; he certainly can be credited with the movement toward a humane treatment of children. Looking at these photos, I find it hard to believe how terrible things were, even though I know such conditions still exist in other parts of the world. I tip my hat to the workers of the world, and wish them safe and healthy and just working conditions.
Thanks for this timely reminder, Altoon. Extremely relevant in my country, South Africa, where mine workers – almost twenty years after liberation! – still struggle to get fair wages and decent working and living conditions.
ReplyDeletevygieblog, you are very welcome. And I've been reading/hearing about the terrible situation of the miners in South Africa, the police shootings, and the miners themselves being charged with murder. It's a nightmare.
DeleteDid you see that the Library of Congress has posted some of Hines photographs on Flickr? Very compelling.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/sets/72157631320489950/with/7893967540/
Thanks for the link, Estyn. I knew that these photos were in the Library of Congress archives, but hadn't seen them. It's especially moving to read the descriptions.
DeleteMy paternal grandfather was a break boy in the PA coal mines, so I am very familiar with this picture. He went to work at age ten. He grew up to to be a union member. If anyone wonders about the importance of unions I remember these photos.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's something, Linda. People are so used to bashing unions, but they brought us many of the improvements in work life, such as the 8 hour day.
DeleteAs you might imagine, Lewis Hine's photographs are my earliest childhood memories. I would like to think they influenced my reformist tendencies. Pullman is buried in Chicago's wonderful Graceland Cemetery (landscaped by O. C. Simonds). I hear that people were so angry upon his death, that the gravesite was reinforced with rebar to prevent folks from digging it up.
ReplyDeleteThat's fascinating information about Pullman, Julie. I can imagine that Hine was an important figure in your household.
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