.
Sam Pine, 8-year-old truant newsboy, who lives at 717 W. California St. Said: "I was late getting up and don't want to get the rubber tube fo[r] being tardy so I staid away to-day." Photographed during school hours. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: photo by Lewis W. Hine, 14 March 1917
Ernest Chester, 5 years old lives at 624 S. Robinson St. Sells with his older brother Emmet, who is 9 years old. They are up very early. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: photo by Lewis W. Hine, 4 March 1917
Passing away the time on the corner. 2 are 9 years old and started out at 5 a.m., 1 is 10 years old and started out later. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: photo by Lewis W. Hine, 4 March 1917
Leroy Raley, 215 Noble St., a 10-year-old truant newsboy, who was photographed during school hours. Said: "Someone stole my clothes so I couldn't go to school." Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: photo by Lewis W. Hine, 15 March 1917
Jack and Jesse Ryan, truant newsies who were photographed during school hours. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: photo by Lewis W. Hine, 15 March 1917
Charlie Scott, who lives at 19 Third St. is 9 years old and a truant newsboy. Said: "I dunno where the school is." Has been in the city 2 months. Photographed during school hours. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: photo by Lewis W. Hine, 15 March 1917
10-year-old truant newsie, selling during school hours Said: "I been sich [i.e., sick] with pneumonia". Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: photo by Lewis W. Hine, 15 March 1917
8-year-old truant newsboy, who didn't know his name nor where he lived. Said he had just had the measles. Photographed during school hours. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: photo by Lewis W. Hine, 15 March 1917
John Baker, 608 E. 4 St. 6-year-old newsie. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: photo by Lewis W. Hine, 15 March 1917
Jack Ryan, 6-year-old newsie, who lives at 126 1/2 W. Reno Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: photo by Lewis W. Hine, 15 March 1917
Alfred Brook, 200 W. Pottawotamie St. 8-year-old newsie. Everett Glin on the left. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: photo by Lewis W. Hine, 15 March 1917
Photos from National Child Labor Committee Collection, Library of Congress
I've been focusing on these since early this morning and reading some background material on Hine. As you expect (and hope for, I suppose), each of these pictures tells and suggests stories. The way Hine deals with the subjects all from "truant newsboys' eyes view" is really powerful and puts you in this world, which I haven't thought about a lot since seeing Our Gang comedies and images (stills and moving) of Jackie Coogan in The Kid. Reading about Hine's later life and his son's difficulty finding a home for the work is curious. I've just been looking at Hine's Empire State Building work and am feeling a bit of vertigo.
ReplyDeleteLooking down at the Empire State Building certainly does make the head spin (even more than it was spinning already, if possible, that is).
ReplyDelete(One wants to say "looking down from....", but I think Hine was floating in some sort of basket hoist device, thus literally shooting from ABOVE.)
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the Carter family song "Jimmie Brown the Newsboy."
ReplyDeleteI'm very cold and hungry sir
My clothes are worn and thin
I wander about from place to plce
My daily bread I win.
Please don't mind wir what I wear
Don't swear at me or frown
I sell the morning paper sir
My name is Jimmie Brown."
The wanderings, bewilderments and pains of the peoples who migrated out of Appalachia, the Ohio Valley & c. out and down into the prairies and beyond make up a great lost chord in the large and largely lost song of historical American experience. Those lyrics really do fit the pictures, Tom. (There are some histories and emotions that will never be squeezed into a Facebook page... at least not without losing something essential, the heart of the matter.)
ReplyDeleteMany thanks.
Each one of these posts is
ReplyDeletelike knife in the ribs.
Here i found more of Looking down at the Empire State Building.
Lewis must have floated himself precariously to take shots and see.