Lewis Hine creeps into the cotton mill toting a camera. He quickly meets the superintendent, and gives a vague story about photographing the machinery. The superintendent lets him in, and instead of taking pictures of the machines, Hine begins to talk to one of the many children working. He photographs the child standing next to the gigantic machine that he or she controls. After repeating this process a few more times, Hine leaves the factory.
"[T]here was a mind and a consciousness and a conscience and that was behind the camera, that really cared about the people that were in front of the camera." -Dr. Kate Sampsell-Willmann, Lewis Hine Historian