Lewis Hine’s famous image – Cotton Mill Girl | 1908

Established in 1904, the National Child Labor Committee, existed to fight for the rights of child workers in the USA. They realized that the most powerful tool they had was to show the real face of these children. They believed that seeing these images of child labor would awaken the citizens to demand change.

When Lewis Hine, an investigative photographer, came across Sadie Pfeifer, one of the smallest children at work. Standing at just 48 inches, he knew he had a shot that would change peoples views.

This photograph along with others was a crucial part of the campaign which led to a change in legislation. The outcome of which was a 50% cut in the number of child laborers over a 10 year period.