I've been enjoying a photoblog called Shorpy which finds and posts photos from as close to the start of the 20th Century as it can get.
Today, the site featured as series of portraits by Lewis Wickes Hine of young boys at work in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1910. They were part of Hine's work for the National Child Labor Committee.
There are a 15-year-old newsboy found on Tatnall Street, a 12-year-old found at 4th & Pine Streets, a 14-year-old Western Union Telegraph messenger found on Linden Street, a 10-year-old newsboy found on West 5th street, and an 11-year-old peanut vendor.
Take time to read the descriptions, which appear to be taken from Hine's notes. They are fascinating. They include details such as "Don’t smoke but visits saloons."
It seems unlikely that I've ever met any of these boys' descendants, but I can't help but think that some of these faces look familiar.
4 comments:
If you like old images of Delaware, be sure to stop by Bob Hartman's Family Pictures and Postcards site.
Mike, I spent some time on Shorpy and the images are just fantastic. Really compelling work from Mr. Hine.
wow what a perspective!
smoking, saloon swinging, ho visiting news boys...
what is old is new vv in our big bad cities.
makes me kinda wanna stop bitching about how crappy my own job is and how broke i am.
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