When Lewis Hine, a former schoolteacher with an interest in documentary photography, was hired in 1908 to photograph child laborers for the National Child Labor Committee, a committee of Congress, he had a difficult job to perform. Factory owners simply didn’t want him meddling. Hine’s fervor about his work helped him persevere, photographing kids in desperate situations. He was so passionate about abolishing child labor that he designed posters and pamphlets, wrote articles and speeches, and defended his work at every turn. The children he photographed now had opportunity for a better future.
Pamphlets and Posters designed by Lewis Hine
These posters describe Hine's position on child labor. He says that labor turns children into commodities, that it is a vicious circle including poverty, disease, and illiteracy, and that there are number of ways to stop the practice, including 8 hour workdays and minimum ages.