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 Before Their Time: Child Labor Through the Lens of Lewis Hine
The exhibition, Before Their Time: Child Labor Through the Lens of Lewis Hine, was on view at the Museum of New Hampshire History from February 10, 2000, through November 4, 2001. The exhibition featured 56 images by Lewis Hine, a talented photojournalist best known for his images of immigrants on Ellis Island and as the official photographer for the construction of the Empire State Building. The Story of Lewis Hine and Child Labor In the early 1900s, the National Child Labor Committee hired Lewis Hine to document child labor conditions around the country. Hine traveled to Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont in 1909 and again in 1911-12 to photograph children at work in mills, mines, quarries, and canneries. His images, used by the National Child Labor Committee on posters with messages such as "Everybody Pays but few Profit by Child Labor," influenced public opinion. In 1911, Progressive Republican Governor Robert P. Bass of Peterborough helped to pass New Hampshire's most sweeping child labor law. By 1914, 35 states had made it illegal to employ children less than 14 years of age. In 1938, federal law followed suit with the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Thanks to Our Lender and Sponsors The images in the exhibition are from the collection of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Funding for the exhibition was provided by Anchorage Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire, Rob and Sallie Bass, the Mary Louise Billings Trust, Pamela Blackford, the Anne Slade Frey Charitable Trust, Harold W. Janeway, Charles and Mary Susan Leahy, Richard B. Morgan, NEA-New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Humanities Council, Northeast Delta Dental, Larry and Barbara Pitsch, Glen and Rosheen Secor, Charles and Ellen Sheridan, the Saul O. Sidore Memorial Foundation, Eleanor H. Stark, and Robert and Binney Wells. Online Exhibition Sampler See four photographs featured in the exhibition in our Online Exhibition Sampler. Special Publication on Hine and the Progressive Movement The New Hampshire Historical Society published a special issue of its journal Historical New Hampshire exploring Lewis Hine's work on child labor and the Progressive Movement in New Hampshire. The Society provided the issue, along with a lesson plan, free of charge to school libraries throughout the state. About Us The New Hampshire Historical Society is the independent nonprofit that saves, preserves, and shares New Hampshire history. The Society serves thousands of children and adults annually through its museum, library, educational progams, and award-winning publications. Join Us! Free admission to the Society's museum and free use of library research resources are two of the many benefits of membership. You are invited to join today! Call the membership department at 603/856-0621, or use our convenient and secure online membership form.  |
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