Lewis Wickes Hine

Lewis Hine was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on September 26, 1874. Since he experienced hardships while he was young, he was forced to go out into the world and get a job to start saving for college. As he was out, he learned that he had a passion for photography. Hine was able to buy his first camera in 1903. Immediately, he began to travel to different places in which he learned more about photography. One place where he was able to practice this new skill was in Ellis Island where he shot thousands of people every day. Over a time period of 5 years (1904-1909), Hine learned that what he wanted to do with his life was photography, but more specifically, photojournalism.

As Hine was being introduced to the new world of photography, he began photographing pictures that he believed would create change, which in due time actually did. Early in Hine's life, he was a school teacher, so he always had a heart for the children. This was the base of most of his photos. He began to take harsh pictures of child labour all over the country. He believed that the more shocking his pictures would be, when it would come time to fight against child labour, more people would be likely to join the campaign. He wanted to truly show sheltered people what was out there, and that they could make a difference. He spoke to the world about change through his inspirational photographs. His hard work eventually payed off when in 1916, Congress agreed to protect children.

As soon as his fight for child rights was won, he moved to his second challenge. Hine joined the Red Cross and began taking pictures of WWI. As he shot this project, he was able to visit Europe and captured the living conditions of the French and Belgian civilians who were taking the blows from the war. From this experience he was able to publish, The Children's Burden in the Balkans (1919). Later in Hine's photography career, he continued shooting photographs with the Red Cross. They gave him many 'assignments' or projects to go shoot.

Even though he moved on from shooting child labour pictures, he never got passed the hard work of men and the unfair treatment of them. In the 1920s he joined the fight to establish better conditions and safety laws for the workers. Hine stated, "I wanted to do something positive. So I said to myself, 'Why not do the worker at work? The man on the job?'" He immediately began shooting these moving pictures. During the end of Hine's career however, he fell behind in his personal life. He had a very hard time earning money with the profession that he chose, consequentially leaving him in extreme poverty. He lost everything. In January of 1940, he even lost his home after failing to keep up on his house payments. Soon after, Lewis Hine died in a severe poverty on November 3, 1940.


For any of you that are familiar with this picture, this is in Slade's office. I love this picture because it's everything an excellent photo should be. It has wonderful light, sharp focus, and I love the detail of this picture- the bolts, the tool, the facial expression, etc. I also love the angle that Hine shot this picture. It is interesting to look at and it never bores me when I see it.


I put this picture up because it really shows what Hine is about. He is showing the world that child labour was very prevalent and was a situation that needed to be taken care of. In this image, I like the idea of a vantage point and the soft 'wrap-around-light' on the girl.


This is also a very interesting shot. I think it shows to us young photographers that you need to be in the right place at the right time. I like how the worker's hat is a little bit blurred because it makes it look like it's glowing. The background is also not distracting at all, but insteads add to the picture and the story.


This shot is at a great angle, and that's why I like it. It is also extremley simple, and yet so complex. I don't have a lot of things to say about this one. I just like looking at it. Sometimes silence and the unknown is better than explaining.


This is an amazing shot. I don't know how Hine plucked up the courage to go on top of the building with those men to just get this shot. It truly facinates me how these men can be at such ease when they are hundreds of feet in the air overlooking a huge city. This picture makes my stomache sink, which ultimatley proves it's a great picture.

I had to put this picture on. First of all because the boy is soooo cute, but also because it is truly a harsh reality that protrays Hine's message so clearly. How could something so innocent and pure to the world like this little boy, be having to work in a big, nasty factory because the government won't help his family and protect his rights. It is so sad. This picture is also very simple, which I like, and the boy has a great expression on his face. His clothes also add to the wonderfulness of this picture. Also, when I first saw this picture, it looked unreal to me. Then when I more carefully examined it, I learned it was real. When a picture does that to you, and really makes you look hard, like the previous picture overlooking the city with the men sitting on the rail in a line, you know its an awsome picture.