Lewis Hine - The Lens of Justice

Born: September 26, 1874, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
Died: November 3, 1940, Dobbs Ferry, New York, U.S.A.

Lewis Hine used his camera to expose the harsh realities of child labor and immigrant life in early 20th-century America.

Lewis was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on September 26, 1874. His life changed suddenly when his father died while Lewis was only 18 years old. From then on, he became the main provider for his family. He worked long hours as a laborer, earning only four dollars for six days of 13-hour shifts. Like many other young workers of the time, he faced unfair treatment and little protection. This early experience shaped Lewis’s passion to fight against labor exploitation later in life.

Lewis used the little money he earned to support his family while also saving for college. In 1900, he began studying sociology at the University of Chicago. He continued his education at New York University and Columbia University. During this time, he also worked as a teacher at the Ethical Culture School in New York City. There, he taught nature studies and geography and even served as the school’s photographer. His two roles soon merged as he began teaching his students the art of photography.

In 1904, Lewis brought his class to Ellis Island to see the arrival of thousands of immigrants. He also photographed the people he saw there. At a time when immigrants were often treated with suspicion and stereotypes, Lewis used his camera to show their humanity. He captured families waiting with hope, tired parents, and children arriving in a new country. Over the next few years, he took more than 200 photos of immigrants, creating one of the most important photo collections of Ellis Island.

As his reputation grew, Lewis published a photo series in 1907 that revealed the poor living and working conditions faced by immigrants. That same year, he was hired by the Russell Sage Foundation to photograph Pittsburgh’s steel districts for a major social study. His photographs combined art and social awareness, making invisible struggles visible to the public.

In 1908, Lewis left teaching to become the full-time photographer for the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC). At the time, over a million children under 15 worked in factories, mills, mines, fields, and canneries. They labored long hours in unsafe and dirty conditions, often risking their health and lives. To draw national attention, Lewis began traveling across America, photographing child workers. His photos showed children as young as five years old operating heavy machines, carrying loads far too heavy for their bodies, and working instead of going to school.

Lewis’s work was dangerous. Factory owners and foremen did not want outsiders exposing these abuses. To get inside workplaces, Lewis often disguised himself as an insurance agent, a postcard seller, or even a Bible salesman. Once inside, he worked quickly, taking photographs and gathering details from the children about their ages, jobs, and living situations. When he couldn’t get access, he would wait outside for hours to photograph the children as they left work, exhausted and dirty. He sometimes faced violence and threats, but he refused to stop.

For nearly a decade, Lewis’s photos shocked the nation and built support for child labor reform. In 1916, his work helped push Congress to pass the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act, the first U.S. law to restrict child labor. Although the law was later challenged, it marked a historic turning point, and Lewis was recognized as a pioneer of social change.

References:
“Lewis W. Hine.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, americanart.si.edu/artist/lewis-w-hine-2232.
“Lewis Wickes Hine.” Lewis Wickes Hine | International Center of Photography, www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/lewis-wickes-hine.
“National Child Labor Committee Collection.” The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/collections/national-child-labor-committee/about-this-collection.

Keywords:
Civil Rights, Justice, Arts, Courage, Perseverance, Responsibility, Honesty, Challenge Injustices, Make a Difference

Explore ARTEFFECT projects about this Unsung Hero:
Lewis Hine Artworks