Week 3

The image was taken by Lewis Hine in 1909.  He worked as a photographer for the National Child Labor Committee, which aimed to lobby against child labor.  The picture attempts to persuade the Americans and the American government that child labor is cruel and inhuman.  Many elements in the photograph make this argument.  The girl appears ragged and unkempt.  There is dirt on her face and hands, her dress is wrinkly, and her hair is messy.  She stares at the camera with none of the naive hopefulness that is seen in most children.  Instead she looks solemn and haunted, forced into an adult world at the age of ten.  The black and white photograph with distinct contrast adds to the dramatic, somber air of the photograph.  The machinery on the left side of the image seems to extend endlessly behind the girl.  This implies that her work and laborious lifestyle will continue for many years.  This photograph depicts a person who should be in her youthful prime, innocent and bright, but due to the practices of her country, she is exhausted and jaded in the first decade of her life.  This is a powerful image that affected change in the policy of child labor in America.

I will now go through the steps to create a working thesis for my paper about this photograph.  1.  Observations-

This image depicts a ten year old girl working as a spinner at a North Carolina cotton mill.  The photograph is stark and haunting due to the expression on the girl's face and her dirty state, the achromatic color scheme, the emphasis on the large, seemingly never-ending machine, and the decrepit appearance of the building.  The photograph makes a case against child labor by showing the terrible conditions and the innocent that it steals from children.  These scene seems so opposite of the childhood most Americans would like their children to experience.

2.  Preliminary thesis statement-

The photograph focuses on the Child Labor policies in the early 19th century by featuring a young worker.

3.  More Specific Revision-

In 1909, Lewis Hine captured a photograph of a ragged young girl that makes a powerful argument against child labor.

4.  Working Thesis-

In 1909, Lewis Hine captured a stark, haunting photograph that would eventually affect change in American child labor policy through its depiction of a ragged ten year old girl working in poor conditions in a cotton mill.