Lewis Hine
1874–1940 · United States
Making working conditions visible.
The story
Lewis Hine made photography a tool of investigation and social reform. His images of working children, made for the National Child Labor Committee, combine portraits, places and precise information. He also photographed immigrants and construction workers. The individual is never separated from the material conditions that organise their activity, even when the composition gives a gesture a monumental quality.
Understanding the work
Read the caption as closely as the face. Age, task and location turn a striking scene into a social document that can be placed in context and discussed.
Key works and series
Children at work; Ellis Island; construction of the Empire State Building.
Sources & further exploration
Works in collections.
10 recordsPhotographs to explore on museum and library websites, with titles, dates and processes. Each link opens the collection record and its image where one is available.
