6 January 2025

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

By Ronald Smith

I just came across some photos that left me absolutely astonished. These pictures reveal the appalling conditions in which children are forced to work in 17 different jobs. I can’t believe how tough their lives must be!

When I saw these photos, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of sadness and anger. It’s heartbreaking to see young kids having to toil in such terrible environments. It makes me wonder why this injustice exists and what we can do to make things better.

The images show children in various occupations, and it’s clear that none of them are suitable or safe for kids their age. From working in dangerous factories to carrying heavy loads, these children are subjected to physical strain and hazardous conditions. It’s simply not right.

I can’t even begin to imagine experiencing what these kids go through on a daily basis. They deserve to be in school, playing with friends, and enjoying their childhood. No child should have to endure hard labor and all the risks that come with it.

So, what can we do about it? Well, the first step is to spread awareness. By sharing these photos and talking about this issue, we can open people’s eyes to the reality faced by these children. We can also support organizations that work to end child labor and provide resources for these kids to have a better life.

Remember, we all have a role to play in creating a world where children are safe and can pursue their dreams. Together, let’s make a difference and ensure that no child has to endure such hardships in their young lives.

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

When I was just four years old, I couldn’t even fathom the hard work some children had to endure in the early 1900s. Looking back at that time, we have a collection of vintage photos showing 17 different jobs that children were forced to do in the United States.

The man behind these powerful pictures is Lewis Hine, an investigative photographer. Between 1908 and 1924, Hine worked for the National Child Labor Committee, capturing the harsh realities of working conditions. To gain access to these workplaces, Hine had to adopt clever disguises, like pretending to be a Bible salesman or a postcard vendor.

  • Parents – Some parents, out of economic necessity or other reasons, would lie about their children’s ages and push them to work. Hine had a particular disdain for fathers who relied on their children while they idled away, noting that one father loafs while another simply sits around.
  • Factory owners – Hine strongly criticized factory owners who continued to exploit child labor for dangerous tasks that could easily be automated.

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Let’s jump right in!

First, let’s talk about the school authorities. Back in the day, schools didn’t really care much about making sure kids showed up for class. And parents, well, they found ways to escape the rules. As a result, too many children grew up without knowing how to read or write.

Now, let’s move on to the government officials. The laws were weak, and the officials turned a blind eye to the problem. It’s like they were in on it, you know? There was even one case where the town mayor owned the mill that was breaking the rules.

Thankfully, Hine’s photographs came along and helped bring about some much-needed changes. People saw these pictures and realized just how dangerous and difficult child labor jobs were. It really opened their eyes.

If you want to see for yourself, take a look at these 17 jobs that children were forced to do. It’s pretty shocking, I have to say.

Okay, now let’s move on to the child labor jobs themselves. The first one on the list is called a doffer.

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

When I look back at the past, I can’t help but be startled by the sight of barefoot children toiling away in mills and factories. It was a common sight, unfortunately. One particular job that comes to mind is that of a doffer in a cotton mill. As a doffer, you would have the responsibility of swapping out the filled bobbins – those cylindrical objects containing spun thread – with empty ones multiple times throughout the day.

Let me show you a photograph from the Bibb Mill in Macon, Georgia, taken back in 1909. The caption of the photo says, Some boys were so small they had to climb up on the spinning frame to mend the broken threads and put back the empty bobbins. Can you imagine that? These young children doing such challenging work. And how much did they earn for their efforts? On average, they would make around 40 to 75 cents per day. It’s difficult to fathom the hardships they faced.

Cranberry Picker

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

Hey there, I’m Jennie Camillo, an 8-year-old girl who lives near Philadelphia. But this summer in 1910, my family and I headed to Turkeytown, N.J. to pick cranberries. It may sound like a fun adventure, but let me tell you, it’s anything but.

Here I am, lugging around a heavy box of cranberries to give to the bushelman. It’s tough work, and I don’t look too thrilled about it, do I?

Now, let me tell you about something that really got under my skin. The photographer, you see, measured the peck box I was carrying. Turns out, it held 10 quarts of cranberries instead of the eight dry quarts the workers were supposed to be paid for. Can you believe it? Not only were we working our backs off, but we were also being cheated. On average, kids like me earned only 6 to 8 cents for each box of cranberries we picked.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

In this photo taken in Beaumont, Texas, back in 1913, you can see a young boy named Tony, who is only six years old. He wakes up bright and early at 5 am every day to sell newspapers. The caption explains that he is considered a regular beggar, constantly pleading with people to buy his papers.

These young newspaper sellers were known as newsies. They would go to the offices of the newspapers or distributors, pick up bundles of papers, and then hit the streets to sell them. Some of these newsies would work all the way until 10 pm at night, without even going to school. They didn’t even have enough math knowledge to make change for customers, according to Hines. On average, these children only made about 50 cents a week.

Introducing the Bed Spring Linker

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

Check out these two dudes in the picture. They’re just 14 and 15 years old, and they’re busy bees at a furniture factory. What’s their gig, you ask? Well, their important role is to connect the springs for mattresses.

Now, would you believe this photo was taken way back in January 1917 in good ol’ Boston, Massachusetts? Yeah, it’s a blast from the past! Unfortunately, the caption doesn’t spill the beans on their names. Mystery boys, I tell ya!

Master of Making Flowers

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

In 1911, my family and I lived in a cramped and dirty apartment in New York. We had a special skill – making artificial flowers. We would carefully put together each flower by hand, using petals, stems, and other materials. It was hard work, but it helped us make a living.

Our family was made up of hardworking individuals. My sister Josephine, who was only 13 years old, would often help out after school until late in the evening, sometimes until 9 P.M. My younger brothers, Nicholas, who was 6, and Johnnie, who was 8, also pitched in. Even Rosie, who was 11 years old (not in the photo), would work, although she had been sick quite a bit. Our baby, who was only 20 months old, would play with the flowers and we hoped that soon he would be able to help us a little as well.

On average, we would earn about 40 to 50 cents a week when we all worked together.

The Life of a Cotton Mill Spinner

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

Let’s take a look at this amazing photo of Sadie Pfeifer when she was just a child, standing at only 48 inches tall. Can you believe that today she wouldn’t even be tall enough for some rides at Disney? But back in 1908, she was working on a massive spinning machine in a cotton mill in Lancaster, South Carolina.

There were many other young workers like Sadie captured by Hines in these cotton mills. It’s heartbreaking to learn that some of them even had their fingers crushed by the machines. Both the parents and the children had to lie about their ages because they needed the money to support their families. On average, these young workers only earned 50 cents a day.

Now, let’s talk about a different job – oyster shucking.

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

Check out this old photo of Mary, who was just 4 years old when this was taken in Dunbar, Louisiana back in 1911. In those days, they used to bring in workers from different states for the oyster season, and whole families would tag along. Can you believe it? Even the kids had to chip in and help!

The caption under the photo says that next year Mary will be working just like the rest of them. Her mom is actually the fastest oyster-shucker in town, earning $1.50 a day! And get this, sometimes she even works while holding her sick baby. Mary’s dad works down at the docks. As for the kids, they only made about 30 to 40 cents a day. Can you imagine?

A Day in the Life

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

So, back in the day, there were these boys called greasers. Their job was to carry buckets of grease for coal cars in a mine. Can you imagine how tough that must have been? Well, in this old photograph, we see a boy named Shorpy Higginbotham. He’s right there in the center, working at the Bessie Mine in Alabama way back in 1910.

The caption says that Shorpy claimed to be 14 years old, but they weren’t so sure about that. I mean, just look at him! He’s lugging around two heavy pails of grease and constantly risking getting run over by those coal cars. It’s a dangerous job, no doubt about it. And you know what’s really surprising? These kids would earn about $1 a day. That was the average pay for children working in the mines.

Now let’s talk about shrimp pickers…

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

Hey there, let me introduce you to Lillian Dambrinio, an 11-year-old girl who lived in 1911. In the photo, she’s wearing a really dirty dress and apron because of her job as a shrimp picker at the Peerless Oyster Co. in St. Louis.

According to the caption, Lillian’s hands get sore from all the picking she has to do. And if you look closely, her shoes are in terrible condition. One worker even mentioned that the acid in the shrimp actually eats away at your shoes! Can you believe that? Lillian does go to school, but only when the factory isn’t too busy.

Now let’s talk about another job that kids like Lillian had back then – glass worker.

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

When I was a kid, there were a lot of us working in glass making factories, even the little ones like me. I remember this one boy in the photo, he was from Poland and couldn’t understand English. The caption says I saw him working just before 1 P.M. It was taken in 1910 at the Illinois Glass Co. You see, we didn’t make much money back then. The average child earned around 70 cents to $1 per day.

A Hard Worker

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

Let me take you back to April 1913 in Columbus, Georgia. You see, there were these small children, some of them were even paid by the week, who had a special job. They would deliver meals at lunchtime to a mill.

Now, here’s something interesting. These little dinner toters would carry more than one basket at a time. Can you believe it? And guess what? Some clever boys even had wagons to help them haul those meals!

But here’s the thing, employers, parents, and officials found a way to avoid weak labor laws. They allowed these small children to help their older relatives. Sneaky, right? The caption says something really fascinating, They go around in the mill, often help tend to machines, which often run at noon, and so learn the work.

Let’s Talk Nut Picker!

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

Being a nut picker is a job that runs in the family. We used to do it at home, and just about everyone pitched in to help separate the nuts from their shells.

This picture shows the Capilluto family in New York. The caption really captures how Lewis Hine feels about fathers who are out of work. This is a common sight in the tenements. The father sits idly by while Helen, 5 years old, and Adeline, 10 years old, help pick nuts. Tessie, a neighbor, also lends a hand. Adeline sometimes works until 9 p.m. On a good week, they made a total of $4.

Tobacco Wormer

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

Imagine this: I’m a 10-year-old boy named Ora Fugate, standing in the middle of a vast tobacco field. My eyes are fixed on the plump worms I just plucked off the leaves. It’s not a glamorous job, but it’s a part of what I do on my family’s sharecropping farm. Back in 1916, this was how things were done.

Working on the farm was the norm for kids like me, but things have changed since then. Nowadays, children don’t have to endure the back-breaking work that I did. We’ve come a long way since those days. This photograph was taken in Hedges Station, Kentucky, capturing a glimpse of a bygone era.

Meet the Garment Finisher

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

I have another job in my family – garment finishing. Sometimes, I would walk to the garment factory and collect piles of clothes. We would then finish them by sewing on buttonholes and performing other stitching tasks. After that, someone from our family would carry the finished garments back to the factory.

There’s a picture caption that says, Here is a picture of my family, the Cottones, living at 7 Extra Place, New York. We are working hard to finish garments in a very run-down apartment. My father works on the street, and my three oldest siblings help my mother with the sewing. Their names are Joseph, who is 14 years old, Andrew, who is 10 years old, and Rosie, who is 7 years old. Can you believe it? Our average family earnings amount to only $2 per week!

Working in the Mill

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

Can you imagine what happened to Giles Edmund Newsom? He was just 12 years old when he got caught in a spinning machine. Ouch! His hand got stuck in the gears, and he ended up losing two fingers in a terrible accident in Bessemer City, North Carolina back in 1912.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, his adult relatives didn’t behave very well either. They brought in a lawyer. The report mentions that when Giles’ father found out that the compensation money would go to the boy and not to the parents, he tried to make a deal with the company. The mother, on the other hand, blamed the boys for finding jobs on their own, but she still let them work for several months. And then there was the aunt who said, Now he’s just got to the point where he could help his mother, and this happens. He won’t be able to work like he should anymore.

A Message for You:

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

When I was a kid, a lot of boys and teenagers worked as bicycle messengers. But there was one boy who stood out from the rest – Issac Boyett. He had an entrepreneurial spirit that set him apart. In 1913, he proudly declared, I’m in charge of everything!

Even though he was only 12 years old, Issac was not just a messenger; he was the owner, manager, and messenger of his own company called Club Messenger Service in Waco, Texas. His job took him to the Red Light District, where he delivered messages and got to know the houses and the women there really well. It was a unique opportunity for a boy his age. And he made a decent amount of money too, averaging $6 to $10 per week.

But there was another common job for boys and teenagers – being a cigar maker.

Shocking Photos Reveal Terrible Work Conditions in 17 Child Labor Jobs

Check out this old photo from 1909. It’s a snapshot of kids and adults working together to make cigars by hand. The caption says they’re at the Filogamo Alvarez factory in Tampa, Florida and that work was slow at that time.

It’s pretty interesting how some of the kids actually paid the boss between $18 and $25 just so they could learn the trade without getting paid. They really wanted to become skilled at making cigars. By the way, did you know that the cigar-making industry was one of the first to form a union? Samuel Gompers, the president of the AFL, actually started out as a cigar maker himself. Pretty cool, right?

Let’s Talk About Child Labor Jobs

You know, child labor jobs really robbed countless American kids of their childhoods and futures. It didn’t matter if they were black, white, or from different backgrounds. Whether they were immigrants or had been living in the country for generations, whether they lived in the city or worked on farms, kids from all walks of life who were struggling economically were at risk.

When I was younger, kids like me had to work really hard. We did jobs that were tough, messy, and even dangerous. And the worst part? We didn’t get to go to school. Instead, we earned a tiny bit of money for our hard work. Can you believe that? Back then, you could buy a Coca Cola for just 5 cents. But sometimes, I had to toil for hours just to make that much money. And the saddest part is that most of us never even got to taste that delicious drink.

The middle class and the rich people, who had more money, didn’t want to see how we were suffering.

Luckily, people like Hine spoke up for us and made others realize that child labor was wrong. Thanks to their efforts, the government finally took notice.

A big change happened in 1938 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This new law made many improvements, including putting an end to really bad child labor practices. Representative Mary Norton worked really hard to make sure this law was passed in Congress. She once said, I’m prouder of getting that bill through the House than anything else I’ve done in my life.