Lewis Hine is renowned as the “father of American documentary photography.” Over three decades in the early 20th century, Hine photographed steelworkers, immigrants, and children working in harsh conditions — playing a pivotal role in establishing the first federal child labor laws. More than 70 of his photographs are on display at The Frick Pittsburgh’s “Lewis Hine Pictures America.”
Yet during his lifetime, Hine “really didn't get to experience his art on the walls,” said The Frick Pittsburgh Assistant Curator Dr. Lauryn Smith.
Just as Hine depicted workers’ material and economic conditions, he was subject to those same forces pursuing his own work. Hine moved from private, nonprofit- and government-funded projects during the Progressive Era to commercial assignments following the Great Depression and New Deal. These distinct career phases are also reflected in the style of Hine’s photographs.
Fine Art Photography and Ellis Island Portraits (1904-1909, 1920s)
Initially a personal project, Hine documented thousands of southern and Eastern Europe immigrants passing through the processing station at Ellis Island. Rather than act as an observer, Hine aimed to humanize newcomers as individuals, positioning and staging his subjects using a camera with a mirrored element so he could view the scene. “The Madonna of Ellis Island (Russian Family),” portraying a mother with two children, evokes an Italian Renaissance altarpiece.
Though the portraits wouldn’t meet today’s photojournalism standards, they’re meant to be artistic and “composed,” Smith said. “Hine is very thoughtful in how he’s helping his subjects and finding the composition he wants.” He produced another Ellis Island immigrant series in the 1920s.
Investigative and Documentary Photography (1904-1916)
As a trained sociologist, Hine began documenting a new urban working class emerging from industrialization. In 1907, he was hired as a photographer for the landmark Pittsburgh Survey, funded by the Russell Sage Foundation.
Hine’s photos of immigrant workers and tenement housing conditions in Homestead drew the attention of the National Child Labor Committee, a nonprofit advocacy group. Working as the NCLC’s official photographer from 1911 to 1916, Hine was at his most prolific, taking 5,000 photographs — among his best-known images — showing children working in factories, coal mines, and as street vendors to drive social reform.
Photographing what Smith called “very direct subjects,” children appear close to eye level with a shallow depth of field, often shown against machinery or large buildings emphasizing their vulnerability.
Commercial Photography and the Empire State Building (1919-1930s)
In 1919, a salary dispute caused Hine to leave the NCLC. To attract commercial clients, Hine shifted his perspective and photographed workers in a way that would appeal to management — a marked contrast from his previous exposing child labor and exploitation.
Hine’s photos championed workers as contributing to industrial progress, believing “you can’t have machines without men,” Smith said.
Rather than capture direct subjects looking into the camera, photographs like “Powerhouse Mechanic,” showing a Pennsylvania worker posed fixing a steam pump, portray workers as “laboring heroes.” A study that became the 1932 book Men at Work shows the construction of the Empire State Building.
As Pittsburgh in the 21st century continues to grapple with social and industrial change, Smith said Hine's photos point to a continued need for artistic reflection.
“Artists speak a very special language that is able to transcend so many divides and boundaries, and they play such an important role in social reform, historically and today.”
See three decades of Lewis Hine’s photos when you visit Lewis Hine Pictures America, on view at The Frick Pittsburgh until May 17. Tickets are available here.
Rachel Wilkinson is a Pittsburgh-based writer and reporter researcher whose essays and profiles have appeared locally in Pittsburgh City Paper and nationally in Harper’s, The Atlantic, Esquire, and others.
