Lewis
Hine has been recognized in recent years as one
of the pioneers of social reform, later called "documentary,"
photography.
Social Photography as Art
Hine, a New York City educator and reformer, had
a natural talent for photography. His background
in printing and art served him well, for he was
able to see and convey the artistic components of
an image. [26]
From the beginning of his photographic
career, Hine thought of himself as an artist. The
poses and titles of some of his early photographs
are reminiscent of paintings. However, Hine was
not interested in merely modeling his work after
European artistic traditions. Defining his work
as "social photography" in a 1908 Charities
advertisement, Hine stated that his goal was "to
offer graphic representation of conditions and methods
of work." [27]
The Crusade Against Child
Labor
Hine and other
Progressive Era reformers campaigned against child
labor and other social conditions. In the early
twentieth century, several child labor reform organizations
formed to secure effective laws.
Lewis Hine, 1936
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The National Child Labor Committee
(NCLC), founded in 1904, provided research expertise,
supported local child labor committees, informed
the public of existing conditions, and worked to
ensure that laws would be passed to prohibit child
labor.
The NCLC hired Lewis Hine to
travel around the country photographing child workers
in factories, mills, mines, and canneries. Hine
created an extensive photographic record that enabled
the NCLC to present its case to the public and to
federal government officials.
Hine had a long and successful
career as a photographer. By the time of his death
in 1940, social reform photography had become an
acceptable method of documentation, worthy of mainstream
publications like Life magazine. Social reform
photography had also become appreciated as an art
form.
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