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Lewis Wickes Hine 1874 - 1940

Lewis Wickes Hine was born on September 26, 1874 in Oshkosh, Winnebago County, Wisconsin United States, and died at age 66 years old on November 3, 1940 in Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County, NY. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Lewis Wickes Hine.

Lewis Wickes Hine

September 26, 1874

Oshkosh, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States

November 3, 1940

Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County, New York, United States

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Lewis Wickes Hine Lewis Hine (1874 - 1940)

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Lewis Wickes Hine's History: 1874 - 1940

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Introduction

Lewis Wickes Hine was born to Douglas Hull Hine (1829-1892) and Sarah L. Hayes (born 1832) in Oshkosh Wisconsin, and had siblings Lizzie May (born 1858), Hattie M. (1860-1862), and Lola C. Hine born in 1868. He married Sarah Ann Rich (1874-1939) and they had one son Corydon Lewis Hine (1912-1988). Lewis was a popular American photographer best remembered for the photographs he took documenting child labor. He took a series of photos in 1910 documenting child workers in an attempt to change child labor laws. He was trying to change the poor conditions of these children by making them visible to everyone. His Child labor photographs, many of which can be found on AncientFaces, were instrumental in bringing about the passage of the first child labor laws in the United States. See also Before Child Labor Laws: Every Boy & Girl had a Job for more photos taken by Lewis.
09/26

1874

Birthday

September 26, 1874

Birthdate

Oshkosh, Winnebago County, Wisconsin United States

Birthplace

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Nationality & Locations

Lewis was born in Oshkosh Wisconsin in 1874 and lived there until after 1900. In 1910 he lived in Yonkers Westchester New York where his son was born. He spent some time in Liverpool England during World War 1 where he photographed the American Red Cross relief effort in Europe. In 1920 he was back in Westchester New York where he lived until his passing in 1940.
Professional Career

Lewis was a talented and famous photographer who used his skills to highlight important aspects of life during the 1900s. He worked with the American Red Cross to photograph during World War 1, and his Child labor photographs were instrumental in bringing about the passage of the first child labor laws in the United States.
Personal Life & Family

Lewis was married to Sarah Ann Rich and they had a son Corydon Lewis Hine.
11/3

1940

Death

November 3, 1940

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County, New York United States
Death location

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8 Memories, Stories & Photos about Lewis

AncientFaces

400 favorites

05/09/2023

Composite photograph of child laborers

Composite photograph of child laborers made from cotton mill children taken by photographer Lewis Wickes Hine (1874-1940). There are many of his photos in Child labor.

Date & Place: 1913

Comments

AncientFaces

400 favorites

10/23/2020

Child labor photographer Lewis Wickes Hine made this composite photo from children working in a cotton mill. This kind of double exposure was popular in early photography. Strangely, it almost looks like one child? I think it's rather frightening myself. Lewis Wickes Hine (September 26, 1874 – November 3, 1940) was an American sociologist and photographer who used his camera as a tool for social reform. His photographs were instrumental in changing child labor laws in the United States.

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Daniel Pinna

9.25k+ favorites

06/16/2020

This is a creepy photo.

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Breaker Boys from Hughestown Borough Pennsylvania

AncientFaces

400 favorites

01/11/2012

Breaker Boys from Hughestown Borough Pennsylvania

Breaker boys were coal-miners whose roles were to break the coal away from mined rock by hand, often utilizing coal breakers. Breaker boys were primarily children, (although some elderly miners who could no longer work in the mines would join the breaker boys) that ranged between the ages of 8 and 12 years old.

Child laborers played a critical role in the early days of the mining industry in the United States. From approximately 1866 through the early 1900's breaker boys were responsible for manually removing the impurities from rocks to isolate coal - often utilizing sharp and extremely dangerous machinery that resulted in amputations, illnesses (such as black lung disease) and death.

In 1885 Pennsylvania was one of the first states to forbid the employment of anyone under the age of 12 from working in a mine as a coal breaker. This decision and the public attention the new law received, would ultimately aid to the creation of the United States Child Labor Laws. This particular photo of breaker boy miners was taken in 1911 in Hughestown Borough Pennsylvania.

Date & Place: 1911

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Daniel Pinna

9.25k+ favorites

09/10/2012

Child Labor - Lewis Wickes Hine

This photo was taken by Lewis Wickes Hine, a professional photographer, who did a series focused on child labor. Mr. Hine utilized his camera for social reform, and was particularly instrumental in changing child labor laws. This image shows two very young children working a textile mill in New England, 1873.

Other Lewis Hine photography collections include steel-making machinery and workers, American Red Cross relief in Europe during WWI, the construction of the Empire State Building, and the Great Depression. Lewis W. Hine was born on September 27th 1874 in Oshkosh Wisconsin and died on November 3rd, 1940.

Date & Place: 1873 at Textile Mill in New England United States of America

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AncientFaces

400 favorites

01/11/2012

Newsboy "Little Fattie"

An unknown newsboy, whose nickname was "Little Fattie". He was less than 40 inches high and 6 years old. He had been selling papers for one year.

This photo was taken by Lewis Wickes Hine as part of his child labor series on May 9th, 1910, in St. Louis, Missouri.

Date & Place: 1910

Comments

AncientFaces

400 favorites

09/01/2022

In 1900, more than 18% of the labor force in the United States was comprised of children. While children worked in factories and mines, a large percentage of orphans survived by selling newspapers. When thinking of "newsies", what often comes to mind is cute little boys who were selling papers for "fun" money. But most often they were starving children trying to support themselves.

Lewis Wickes Hine was a photographer who took a series of photos in 1910 documenting child workers in an attempt to change child labor laws. He was trying to change the poor conditions of these children by making them visible to everyone. The name of this cute boy in St.Louis isn't known, only his nickname was documented by Lewis. Not knowing his name, we don't know what happened to "Little Fattie" but we hope that his picture changed his life and those of others in similar conditions.
Only six years old when this photo was taken, and still melting our hearts over 100 years later.

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09/01/2022

In 1910, my father was nearly 9 years old, could not speak English, and was on a ship coming across the ocean to America. By the time he was 11, he was spending summers picking fruit in cherry orchards. At 16, he was sweeping floors in an automotive industry factory's machine shop. There, he learned how to be a machinist...by watching the workers and thanks to the kindness of those who showed him what to do.

In his late 40's, he built his second, larger house for his growing family...on a lot where he had once picked cherries. Amazingly, there was still a very old cherry tree on that lot, and his children played and climbed on it.

At 60, he retired from that machine shop as a supervisor, nearly 46 years after he started there as a teen.

He was not just intelligent and determined; he was also lucky. So many of those kids never made it.

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