Gruesome Pictures From The 1900s Showing The Struggles Of Working Children Before Child Labor Was Abolished

In 1908 Lewis Hine picked up his camera and became the photographer for the National Child Labor Committee. It was a start of a long decade, as Lewis traveled across the country, documenting child labor, getting constant threats from factory owners as the immorality of employment laws was supposed to be kept away from the public's eye. However, Hine persisted, adopting many different disguises (such as a fire inspector or a bible salesman) to snap these old photos of the labor laws violations and interview the children working at factories or in the streets.

Lewis Hine used his camera as a tool for social commentary and reform, focusing on the dangerous and appalling conditions that the children had to work in. Risking his own safety, Hine snapped thousands of photographs with one goal – change child labor laws terminally. And of course, spreading the vintage photos, in the form of pamphlets, newspapers, and magazines paid off as the federal government eventually had to put out stricter labor laws. Scroll down below to see a selection of Hine's vintage photography and don't forget to tell us what you think.

More info: National Child Labor Committee Collection