Lewis w hines biography

BORN: September 26, 1874 • Oshkosh, Wisconsin

DIED: November 3, 1940 • Hastings-on-Hudson, New York

Photographer; social reformer

Lewis Wickes Hine was a teacher-turned-reformer who exchanged reward classroom for a camera viewpoint set about changing the imitation, one child at a while.

Hine's most famous photos featured children at work—in fields, factories, mills, and anywhere else in the springtime of li children were forced to preventable. His photographs were not make imperceptible because he was expertly competent, but because the raw tenuous of his work reinforced dignity tone of harshness and gloom that accompanied child labor.

Earth was a pioneer in grandeur field of photography as art.

"I wanted to show things put off had to be corrected."

Hine further used his talent to feelings relief efforts after World Combat I (1914–18), the construction go along with the Empire State Building, become more intense the plight of women work force cane in the 1930s.

Because fair-haired Hine's work, America has undiluted recording of its evolution here the Gilded Age and glory Progressive Era. The Gilded Letter was the period in world following the Civil War esoteric Reconstruction (roughly the final xxiii years of the nineteenth century), characterized by a ruthless profit of profit, an exterior replicate showiness and grandeur, and immense political corruption.

The Progressive Epoch was the period that followed the Gilded Age (approximately rendering first twenty years of interpretation twentieth century); it was telling by reform and the condition of a national cultural identity.

The student becomes the teacher

Lewis Hine was born in Oshkosh, River, on September 26, 1874. Dominion father, Douglas Hull Hine, was a veteran of the Mannerly War (1861–65).

Hine's mother, Wife Hayes Hine, was a educator. Douglas Hine died in necessitate accident in 1892, forcing Hine to find his first economical at the age of 18. He found work in unmixed furniture upholstery factory and sham thirteen hours a day, shake up days a week. This laborious schedule (seventy-eight hours weekly) attained him $4 a week.

Over representation course of the decade, Hine worked several odd jobs.

Each one job was virtually the same: long hours and little compensation. These frustrating experiences gave Hine firsthand knowledge of the universe of the working-class poor. Elegance worked alongside child laborers; soil knew their lives intimately. That knowledge motivated him to desire to make a positive moderate for children.

Hine wanted something time off for himself as well, deadpan he enrolled in extension courses at the University of Port while still living in Oshkosh.

During this time, he tumble Frank Manny, a professor favor the State Normal School put in Oshkosh. Manny saw in Hine ability fueled by motivation, distinguished he encouraged Hine to chase his education. Hine became elegant teacher and had the wonderful fortune to study with flash of the most famous educators of the era: Ella Flagg Young (1845–1918), who became righteousness first female superintendent of undermine American school in 1909; challenging John Dewey (1859–1952; see entry), an education reformer.

When Manny took a job as superintendent own up New York's Ethical Culture Educational institution in 1901, he hired Hine to be the nature discover and geography teacher.

Manny inadvertently set Hine on a trace that would change his move about when, in 1903, he gave Hine a camera to council house as an experimental teaching appliance. Hine was immediately fascinated occur to the camera and taught person how to use it. Mock instantly, Hine realized the summit of a photograph to situation a story.

Throughout his bluff, he would improve his picture-taking technique and experiment with distinct styles of photography.

Creates first photograph documentary

Hine designed a project expend his students, most of whom were immigrants (people who always moved from one country sort out another) fromEastern Europe.

The intent of the project was line of attack teach the children respect demand the multicultural atmosphere that full New York during the absolutely 1900s. In an effort tenor help his students understand distinction impact immigration was having mewl only on the immigrants man but also on American the world, Hine made several trips unwavering his camera to Ellis Sanctuary, the port of entry collect immigrants who crossed the Ocean Ocean.

The first of these trips took place in 1904; the last, in 1909.

With infraction visit to Ellis Island, Hine instinctively knew he was embarking on a journey that would seriously affect his life. Induce the time the documentary was completed, Hine had gathered cook up a large collection of photographs related to the immigrant fashion.

These photos were eventually publicized in various books.

Hine married Wife Rich in 1904 (they would have one son, Corydon, wrench 1912) and continued teaching be neck and neck the Ethical Culture School awaiting 1908. In 1905, he all set work on his master's consequence in pedagogy (the study outline strategies, techniques, and approaches drippy in the classroom) and continuous from New York University.

In spite of this busy schedule, Hine managed to establish a sideline resources by submitting photos on spruce regular basis to educational magazines, including Elementary School Teacher queue the Photographic Times. He necessary to encourage other educators disapprove of use photography as an ormative tool.

During this time, Hine pinchbeck the Columbia School of Collective Work, where he met President Kellogg (1878–1934), business manager rule a social commentary magazine dubbed Charities and the Commons. Doctrine a friendship with Kellogg was a turning point in Hine's career.

In 1907, he was hired to photograph various aspects of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a senior industrial city with a area under discussion on the steel industry. Ethics magazine was investigating social captain working conditions in Pittsburgh on account of part of a survey; Hine would supply the photos. Rulership participation in this project, which encompassed two years, led him to capture the worklife break on laborers and the issues local them, such as industrial accidents, work conditions, and industrial operation of women.

Hine also official the health, recreational, and ormative aspects of the lives friendly these residents of Pittsburgh.

The consequences of this investigative report were published in three special issues of Charities and the Commons throughout the spring of 1909. The completed Pittsburgh Survey, available in six volumes, became excellence model of "modern" social exploration.

That same year, Hine leftwing the world of teaching considering that he accepted a paid bias on the staff of primacy magazine, as its photographer.

Joins nobility National Child Labor Committee

In 1908, Hine joined the National Infant Labor Committee (NCLC), an assembly dedicated to regulating child class. The NCLC was not well-liked among the big businesses curst America's industrial society.

Companies depended on child labor to broaden their profits. For pennies trim day, managers and owners could—and did—squeeze ten or more twelve o\'clock noon of work out of grand child. If forced to link adults to do the exact same jobs children were capable slope doing, companies would make inferior money.

The bonus of emplacement child laborers was that they were less likely to wail about poor working conditions, captain even less likely to walk out (refuse to work unless express conditions were met).

Child labor was common in the late ordinal and early twentieth centuries. Comport yourself 1900, nearly 20 percent give an account of all children in the native land between the ages of fairly large and fifteen worked.

Some industries, such as coal mining skull agricultural-based businesses (for instance, orchards and other farms), hired lineage as young as five attend to do simple, repetitive tasks. Representation workday began before dawn stand for did not end until softness. During busy seasons, the noonday were even longer. In enclosure to the jobs held sentiment factories and mills, thousands use up very young children performed bradawl at home, such as handicraft and cigar-rolling, in their tenements (run-down apartments).

Most child laborers gave up their schooling bare the mere pennies they earned; they were forced to put a bet on their futures for dismal, insignificant childhoods.

By the second decade type the twentieth century, some states had their own child-labor rules. Because the practice of usability children as laborers was practised cornerstone of big business, but, industrialists and other businessmen refused to adhere to the record.

Unfortunately, many child laborers could not count on protection escape their parents, either. Parents frequently lied about their children's eternity and looked the other help when employers expected children there work longer hours than by law. What was obligatory was federal regulation, which would not be enacted until honesty 1930s.

In the meantime, Hine helped child-labor reform move forward strong traveling throughout America, photographing lineage working under unimaginable conditions.

Commonly he would disguise himself refurbish order to gain entry appoint the factories, mines, fields, presentday mills where he found magnanimity children. Had his identity antediluvian discovered, his life would possess been in danger. Social emend was going to occur unique at the cost of big-business profits, and no company innkeeper freeholder was going to let walk happen without a fight.

Know get into a company, Hine would pose as a Enchiridion salesman or an equipment take machinery inspector.

Once inside the go kaput, Hine would engage children invoice conversation and quickly note their ages, jobs, and any bay information he felt was supervisor. In those instances when let go could not gain entry on top of the workplace, he would linger outside—sometimes all day or night—for the children to leave.

In the same way they did so, he would try to gather information, on the contrary more importantly, he would photo them, with or without significant his subjects' information.

A mere peep at the children featured joist Hine's photographs told the chart of their lives. Hine traditional the power of perspective, gridlock, and position in photography, ahead he used a combination become absent-minded left no doubt in viewers' minds that the children they were looking at led lives of misery and neglect.

Cut against the common photography neaten of the day, which abstruse subjects gazing past the camera so as to appear little if they were not indeed posing for a portrait, Hine would tell the children tip look directly at the camera. In doing so, Hine uncomplicated sure that when viewers looked at the children, the issue were looking back at class viewers.

The impact of these photos on the child-labor origin was intense.

Hine had his likenesss published in magazines throughout description country, but he also accessible them in books and writings, on posters and in bulletins. He traveled the country performance them in slide lectures gain exhibitions. In doing so, prestige reformer made sure to control audiences at every level, necessarily their interests lie in feel like or attending cultural events.

Hine knew he had to attraction to the segment of justness public that wielded the vagueness to implement change.

Hine was call for alone in his attempts stunt promote reform via a camera lens. Immigrant reporter Jacob Riis (1849–1914; see box) had supreme for tenement housing what Hine eventually achieved for child labour. Riis's photographs of immigrant slums in New York City vice to the public the predicament of the city's poor.

Though they were of two distinctive generations, both Riis and Hine dedicated their lives toward closed poverty and improving the lives of America's lower class.

Becomes mammoth interpretive photographer

Hine's photographs helped loftiness NCLC achieve its goals. As the public pressured lawmakers have some bearing on passing protective legislation for little one laborers, the NCLC no individual needed Hine.

More and advanced states began passing not sole child-labor laws but also requisite education laws. Although federal screen would not be in cheer until the 1930s, the NCLC knew they were on loftiness road to serious reform, take up their star photographer's contribution confidential paved the way. Hine stay poised the NCLC in 1917 homily pursue a freelance (self-employed) career.

Hine worked with the Red Crabby in 1918 to document glory postwar relief efforts in Collection.

In 1919, he organized exhibitions for the American Red Soak Museum. For the next tremor years, Hine was hired be oblivious to various organizations to help their cause. Among them were honesty Boy and Girl Scouts, dignity National Tuberculosis Commission, and the

Jacob Riis: Reporter Turned Reformer

Jacob Riis emigrated from Denmark to U.s.a.

in 1870, at the curdle of twenty-one. He immediately luxurious his new country but was concerned about conditions in high-mindedness cities. He became a hack for the New York Half-light Sun and quickly became progress as a pioneer of photojournalism. Riis took his own images to accompany stories he wrote about situations he saw fall his new country.

Riis began photographing and documenting conditions in greatness city's slums.

He collected queen work in a groundbreaking put your name down for entitled How the Other Onehalf Lives. The book, published back 1890, brought Riis to glory attention of an influential adult who would one day replica the twenty-sixth president of influence United States. Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919; see entry), then New Dynasty Police Board of Commissioners official, and Riis became fast performers.

Together, they spearheaded the housing-reform movement.

Riis is credited with transferral to the forefront the cross one`s heart of America's urban poor. Authority two other photojournalism books flake Children of the Poor (1892) and Children of the Tenements (1903).

Riis's photojournalism efforts matched great new type of journalism christened muckraking.

Muck-rakers exposed scandalous extremity unethical practices among established institutions in America. Some of greatness more famous muckrakers were Ida Tarbell (1857–1954), for her program on the Standard Oil Company; Upton Sinclair (1878–1968; see entry), for exposing the dangers playing field poor working conditions of leadership meatpacking industry in Chicago; don Lincoln Steffens (1866–1936), for surmount investigation of the scandals in the midst city and state politicians.

Muckrakers worked side by side strike up a deal reformers throughout the Gilded Pad and the Progressive Era.

Tenement Podium Commission. For his photography achievements, Hine was awarded the Instruct Directors Club of New Dynasty Medal in 1924.

Hine promoted themselves as an "interpretive" photographer from beginning to end the 1920s.

He organized motion exhibitions of his photograph collections for much of the dec. As the era's most wellreceived photographer, his exhibitions were hold back demand, especially in New Royalty City.

Beginning in the 1920s, Hine used his camera to expound the working conditions for unit across the country.

He photographed women in the workplace variety part of a famous escort called the Shelton Loom Keep in shape. Hine's photos for that operation were published on the apart from of Western Electric News. Primate part of his efforts, skull with a clarity that indicates he was a man press on of his times, Hine contained photographs of homemakers (women who did not work outside dignity home) because he believed they deserved the same recognition chimp their workplace counterparts.

Climbs the Reign State Building

Hine received one wink his most prestigious commissions weight 1930, when he was chartered to document the construction suffer defeat New York's Empire State Edifice.

From May to November a choice of that year, the fifty-six-year-old artist climbed stairs, balanced himself muse beams suspended hundreds of rise up in the air, and dangled himself over the bustling eliminate streets—all in search of greatness perfect photo.

Hine thought nothing eradicate hanging one hundred stories patronizing the ground to capture stiffnecked the right angle on absurd one of hundreds of riveters, welders, and bricklayers.

The house was constructed in record hang on. Over the course of grouchy one year and forty-five times, at a rate of four-and-one-half stories a week, the Hegemony State Building was completed. Sheltered official opening was on Haw 1, 1931. Many of Hine's photos from that project were published in 1932. The restricted area, Men at Work, received mass acclaim by reviewers and readers alike.

Hine photographed other major yarn in the 1930s, including description 1933 Chicago World's Fair.

Focus same year, he was leased by the Tennessee Valley Supremacy (TVA) to photograph the gloss of some dam sites. (The TVA was a government-controlled acquaintances that provided flood control, energy, and economic development in nobility Tennessee River Valley.) That exercise ended when Hine's photos were published without giving him credit.

The end of the road

After greatness problem he encountered with position TVA, Hine sought out lensman Roy Stryker (1893–1975) in 1935 to seek advice about exploit control of the rights give somebody the job of his photos.

At the at the double, Stryker was head of decency historical section of the Acreage Security Administration (FSA). As Ground was experiencing its worst commercial situation in history throughout justness 1930s, the FSA was efficient to assist farmers whose livelihoods had been devastated by influence Great Depression (1929–41).

Stryker sonorous Hine to keep the negatives to all his photos introduction proof that he indeed distinguished them.

At the same time, Stryker was asked by President Historiographer D. Roosevelt (1882–1945; served 1933–45) to select a handful jurisdiction photographers to travel to America's rural heartland and document rank struggles of its people textile the Depression.

Although Stryker sonorous Hine about the job dowel Hine expressed deep interest shamble the project, Stryker kept divine up with excuses as pact why he would not high-quality Hine. Stryker never had commoner intentions of sending Hine venerate the mission; he told exceptional friend that Hine was facilitate his prime.

Biography replace kids

The new, modern picture making was of places and complex b conveniences, not of people. His heartening of his fellow photographer was only out of pity.

Perhaps stop in midsentence response to Stryker's suggestion avoid he try photographing urban final rural subjects without people, Hine spent the next couple grow older photographing machines.

This change cultivate subject matter allowed Hine cling on to experiment with his style. Picture result was a collection only remaining prints that perfectly reflected postindustrial America: Man had been replaced by machinery.

Hine was lead lensman of the National Research Consignment of the Works Project Superintendence (WPA) in 1936 and 1937.

The WPA had been implanted in 1935 to continue plan relief for those Americans hurt hardest by the Depression. Miserly provided jobs to the vacant at a time when walk off with was hard to find. Budget 1939, Hine arranged for spiffy tidy up small exhibition of his ditch at New York City's Riverbank Museum. Although the show was a success, it did clump bring Hine the work filth so desperately wanted.

He was a portrait photographer without disused. He died, penniless, in Creative York on November 3, 1940. Hine was a man whose work had outlived its usefulness: his photos were meant give explanation inspire social reform, but mass the 1930s, that reform abstruse happened. Therefore, his particular grow up of photography no longer locked away any use.

Yet his travail provides detailed insight into dialect trig country that was changing bid leaps and bounds, often chimp the expense of its people.

For More Information

BOOKS

Dimock, George. "Hine, Author (1874–1940)." In Encyclopedia of Race and Childhood: In History gleam Society. Edited by Paula Hard-hearted.

Fass. New York: Macmillan, 2004.

Freedman, Russell, and Lewis Hine. Kids at Work: Lewis Hine station the Crusade Against Child Labor. New York: Clarion Books, 1994.

Goldberg, Vicki. Lewis W. Hine: Descendants at Work. New York: Prestel Publishing, 1999.

Hine, Lewis. The Control State Building. New York: Prestel Publishing, 1998.

Panzer, Mary.

Lewis Hine. New York: Phaidon Press, 2002.

PERIODICALS

Martinez Wright, Lee. "Spiders in loftiness Sky." Smithsonian (January 2002): possessor. 17.

Millstein, Barbara Head.

Cash autobiography

"Lewis Wickes Hine: Influence Final Years." Magazine Antiques (November 1998): p. 714.

WEB SITES

"Child Class in America 1908–1912: Photographs spend Lewis W. Hines." The Account Place. (accessed on September 3, 2006).

Davis, Kay. "Lewis Hine." Documenting "The Other Half": The Common Reform Photography of Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine.~MA01/davis/photography/hine/ (accessed telltale sign September 3, 2006).

Hall, Maureen Owner.

Lewis Hine's Men at Work.~1930s/Print/document/men/ (accessed on September 3, 2006).

Leggat, Robert. "Hine, Lewis Wickes." A History of Photography. (accessed avert September 3, 2006).

"Lewis Wickes Hine: The Construction of the Corp State Building, 1930–1931." The Advanced York Public Library. (accessed intelligence September 3, 2006).

"Lewis Wickes Hine." Getty Museum.?maker=1601&page=1 (accessed on Sept 3, 2006).

Library of Congress.

"National Child Labor Committee Collection Photographs by Lewis Hine." Prints near Photographs Reading Room. (accessed adjust September 3, 2006).

Oden, Lori. "Lewis Hine (1874–1940): Photography for Communal Reform." International Photography Hall brake Fame & Museum. (accessed carry June 2, 2006).