Stunning Vintage Photographs Of The Early Teen Bicycle Messengers In 1908-1917
In 1908, the National Child Labor Committee hired Lewis Hine, a New York sociologist and photographer, to document the exploitative working conditions of child laborers in dozens of occupations, from mining and manufacturing to farming and newspaper selling. Among the many workers he captured were bicycle messengers in several southern cities. Continue reading »
Child Labor In America: Horrible Photographs That Show Boys At Coal And Zinc Mines From A Century Ago
A trapper boy, one mile inside Turkey Knob Mine in Macdonald, West Virginia, 1908.
After the Civil War, the availability of natural resources, new inventions, and a receptive market combined to fuel an industrial boom. The demand for labor grew, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries many children were drawn into the labor force. Factory wages were so low that children often had to work to help support their families. The number of children under the age of 15 who worked in industrial jobs for wages climbed from 1.5 million in 1890 to 2 million in 1910. Continue reading »
