Tampa Cigar Box Factory
Lewis Wickes Hine
American, 1874–1940
January 1909
A gelatin silver photograph in which Lewis Hine gathered a group of factory workers—many of them children—outside the Tampa cigar box factory to document working conditions and compel social reform.
A closely packed line of boys and girls of different ages, their worn clothes and scuffed boots set against a clapboard wall, meet the camera with guarded, solemn expressions that make the scene feel both documentary and deeply personal.
Made during the Progressive Era, this work exemplifies Hine’s use of photography as a tool for social change, helping to reveal the reality of child labor and spur public support for protective labor laws.
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
4 11/16 × 6 5/8" (11.9 × 16.9 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Herbert Weller
Accession
463.2013
Palette
Exhibitions
