Lewis Wickes Hine (September 26, 1874 – November 3, 1940) was an American sociologist and photographer. Hine used his camera as a tool for social reform. His photographs were instrumental in changing the child labor laws in the United States. He visited Kentucky in 1916 and took many photographs of early schools and children working instead of attending school. Below are some of his remarkable photographs depicting the lives of children in Clark County, Kentucky in 1916. The comments are from Lewis Wickes Hine.
Pilot View School, Winchester, Clark County, Kentucky, Lewis Wickes Hine 1916
Bush driving horse home. Location: Clark Co.–Winchester, Kentucky / Lewis W. Hine 1916
Buckeye School. Location Clark County, Kentucky Lewis W. Hine 1916
Driving sheep to town. Gartland boy (did not get first name) Mother runs the Farmers Hotel, Winchester. Location: Clark Co.–Winchester, Kentucky / Lewis W. Hine. 1916
Driving sheep to town. Gartland boy (did not get first name) Mother runs the Farmers Hotel, Winchester. Location: Clark Co.–Winchester, Kentucky / Lewis W. Hine. 1916
A Kentucky school. Bush School, Clark Co., Ky. Location: Clark County–Winchester, Kentucky. 1916
John Aldridge, 14 years old. Father, Hense Aldridge, R. Route 1, Winchester. Driving horse home. Works on tobacco. Expects to start school in “couple of weeks.” It is now several weeks after school opened. Division 2, Clark Co., Ky. Location: Clark Co.–Winchester,Kentucky / Lewis W. Hine. 1916
Indian Field School. Location: Clark County, Kentucky / Lewis W. Hine 1916
The Photographs below are from the Lowe family on their tobacco farm in Winchester, Clark County, Kentucky
Topping tobacco. Roland Lowe, 13 years old in field with two brothers. There are 7 boys and 2 girls in the family, and 4 are in school. Father, Mose Lowe, R. Route 1, Winchester. Children go to Pretty Run School, Division 2, Clark Co., Ky., but Roland and Bush, 14 years old have not started yet–about 3 weeks after it opened. Father rents this farm of 160 acres. Location: Clark Co.–Winchester, Kentucky / Lewis W. Hine. 1916
The Lowe sons are spiking tobacco on Lowe farm in the next two photographs. Roland 13 and Bush 14 years old will go to Pretty Run School in a week or two, when tobacco is all in. It is a school day and school began 2 months ago. Boys say they have been in school some this year. Location: Clark County–Winchester[vicinity], Kentucky / Lewis W. Hine. 1916
Suckering tobacco on Lowe farm. Lewis W. Hine 1916
The following photographs below are of W. L. Fugate children.
Worming and topping tobacco. W.L. Fugate rents farm. Willie, 12 years old and Ora, 10 years old will go to Schoolsville School, Clark Co., Ky., but it has not opened yet. Location: Hedges Station, Kentucky / Lewis W. Hine. 1916
Housing tobacco in barn of W.L. Fugate. Will go to Schoolsville School but it has not opened on account of repairs. Lewis W. Hine. Location: Hedges Station, Kentucky.
Willie Fugate cutting tobacco
Ora Fugate, 10 years old worming tobacco. They said they do not worm in middle of day when hot, but work right through when “suckering.
The Newkirk family in Clark County, Kentucky also needed assistance from their children. Newkirk children picking blackberries. Father, Hildred Newkirk. Willie, 15 years, Catherine 13 years, Clarence, 10 years and Sam, 8 years. Will start school (Indian Field) soon. Mother said: “They haint got money fer books so they have to git a little from the berryin’.” Some families nearby earn considerable money at this work. Teacher of Rabittown School said most of her absences have been due to picking berries. Location: Clark County, Kentucky / Lewis W. Hine 1916
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