pickers

nice slice of life

Again, I am not going to argue child labor laws. certainly the use of children in industry is abhorrent. but so far, the pictures I have chosen to look at in this group seem not to present the case very well. Here for example is nothing more than kids scrounging the dump for metal and tin etc to be taken to centers that paid them for it. I can't tell you the hours me and my buddies in the 40s and 50s spent scowering the town dump for bottles that could be returned for money. Money that was ours to keep and spend as we wished. We brought our bb guns with us and shot at the rats and all in all had thoroughly enjoyable times.

Bob Spear who bought food for you?

Bob Spear Hey Jack, there's a little over 5,000 images on the LOC website. www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?sp=1&co=nclc&st=gallery The image below might be more along the lines of what you're looking for. www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ncl2004000031/PP/ I think if Lewis Hine wanted to only take pictures of destitute children exploited by industry he most likely could have. He also has a lot of portraits of adults in industry that don't show a hint of exploitation, and I think that's because he wanted to show the spirit these people had in spite of the bad working conditions, because he cared about them.

Well done. nice image.

The ladders are NEW!!! I grew up in this part of the country and never saw a new ladder before. Probably used the same ladders in the 50's and 60's that were in these pictures. Probably still using them?

Yorkshire Gold