30 Shocking Photos Of Child Labor Between 1908 And 1916

    The impact of these images, by photographer Lewis Hine, were instrumental in changing the child labor laws in the U.S.

    Brian Galindo
    by Brian Galindo

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: June 1910

    Location: Seaford, Delaware.

    The photo shows Daisy Langford, an 8-year-old who works at Ross' canneries. She helps at the capping machine, but is not able to "keep up." So she places caps on the cans at the rate of about 40 per minute working full time. That was her first season at the cannery.

    2.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: August 1908

    Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

    Young workers at the Indianapolis Furniture Factory.

    3.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: September 1908

    Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

    Lawrence J. Hill, 17 years old, had four fingers mashed off by stamping machine in a lamp factory.

    4.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: October 1908

    Location: West Virginia

    Two boys working at Lehr glass works.

    5.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: August 1908

    Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

    Noon time at a cotton mill.

    6.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: November 1910

    Location: Fayetteville, Tennessee.

    Group of spinners at Elk Cotton Mills. According to Lewis, the youngest girl hardly knew her name.

    7.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: November 1908

    Location: Location: Lincolnton, North Carolina.

    A young girl, worked as a spinner in Daniels Mfg. Co.

    8.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: May 1911

    Location: Tupelo, Mississippi

    Inez Johnson (9 years old) and Lily, her cousin (7 years old), both regularly worked as spoolers.

    9.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: November 1908

    Location: Gastonia, North Carolina.

    Workers on their way home from Loray Mill. The smallest boy on the right end, John Moore, 13 years old, had already been working at the mill for 6 years as sweeper, doffer and spinner.

    10.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    October 1913

    Location: San Antonio, Texas.

    Three brothers: Boyce (10 years old), Lawrence (7 years old), and the unidentified youngest brother (5 years old), worked as newsboys to support themselves, because their father was sick.

    All three would start work at 6:00 A.M. and would sell papers until about 9:00 or 10:00 P.M

    11.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: May 1910

    Location: St. Louis, Missouri

    Newsboys taking a smoke break.

    12.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: August 1908

    Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

    13 Indianapolis Newsboys waiting for the Base Ball edition, in a Newspaper office.

    13.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: July 1908

    Location: St. Louis, Missouri

    Francis Lance, 5 years old, selling papers on Grand Avenue.

    14.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: August 1916

    Location: Warren County--Albaton, Kentucky

    Amos (6 years old) and Horace (4 years old), worked every day from "sun-up to sun-down," worming and suckering tobacco plants on their father's farm.

    15.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Location: Comanche County, Oklahoma

    Date: October 1916

    Jewel (6 years old) and Harold Walker (5 years old), both picked between 20 to 25 pounds of cotton a day.

    16.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: October 1913

    Location: Houston [vicinity], Texas

    Millie, a 4-year-old cotton picker, on farm near Houston. She picked about eight pounds of cotton a day.

    17.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: February 1913

    Location: Bluffton, South Carolina

    Rosie (7 years old) was a regular oyster shucker. It was her second year working a the Varn & Platt Canning Co.

    18.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: January 1911

    Location: Pittston, Pennsylvania

    Breaker boys (their job was to separate impurities from coal by hand) at the Hughestown Borough Pennsylvania Coal Company.

    19.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: January 1911

    Location: Pittston, Pennsylvania

    Breakers boys at work at the Pennsylvania Coal Co. A kind of slave-driver sometimes stood over the boys, prodding or kicking them into obedience.

    20.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: June 1911

    Location: Richmond, Virginia

    Two Newsboys' Richard Green (with hat), 5 years old, and Richmond, who was "8".

    21.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: March 1911

    Location: Dunbar, Louisiana

    Rosy, an 8-year-old oyster shucker, worked all day from about 3:00 A.M. to about 5 P.M. at the Dunbar Cannery.

    According to Lewis, the baby in photo would learn to shuck as soon as she could handle the knife.

    22.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: March 1911

    Location: Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

    Maud Daly (5 years old) and her sister, Grade Daly (3 years old), each picked about one pot of shrimp a day for the Peerless Oyster Co.

    23.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: November 1910

    Location: Pell City, Alabama

    Doffers at the Pell City Cotton Mill.

    24.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: November 1910

    Location: Birmingham, Alabama.

    Donnie Cole worked as a doffer (someone who clears full bobbins, pirns or spindles from a spinning frame). When asked Lewis asked his age, he hesitated, then said, "I'm 12."

    25.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: April 1913

    Location: Columbus, Georgia

    Phoenix Mill was a "dinner-toters," delivering up to 10 meals a day to workers.

    26.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: January 1909

    Location: Augusta, Georgia

    A little spinner at the Globe Cotton Mill. Augusta, Ga. The overseer admitted that she was regularly employed.

    27.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: December 1908

    Location: Loudon, Tennessee

    Like many young workers, this little girl was so small she has to stand on a box to reach the machine.

    28.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: February 1911

    Location: Port Royal, South Carolina

    Josie (6 years old), Bertha (6 years old), Sophie (10 years old), were all shuckers at the Maggioni Canning Co.

    29.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: January 1909

    Location: Tampa, Florida

    Young boys working as cigar makers at the Englahardt & Co.,

    30.

    Library of Congress / National Child Labor Committee Collection

    Date: July 1909

    Location: Baltimore, Maryland.

    Young workers stringing beans in the J. S. Farrand Packing Co. Those too small to work are held on laps of workers.

    Via: Vintage Everyday