The artwork titled “Boy from Loray Mill, Gastonia, North Carolina, 1908” was created by the artist Lewis Hine in 1908. The medium utilized in this piece is photography. It is associated with the art movement of Social Realism and falls under the genre of photo. This piece is part of the “National Child Labor Committee photographs” series.
The artwork presents a poignant image of a young boy, standing and facing the camera. He is dressed in a worn-out double-breasted coat and a cap, indicative of the early 20th century working-class attire. The boy’s face, speckled with dirt, exhibits a mixture of solemnity and resilience. The background, blurred but suggestive of an industrial or rural setting, further emphasizes the historical and socio-economic context of child labor during that period. Through this powerful and evocative photograph, Hine effectively captures the harsh realities faced by child laborers, thereby contributing significantly to the social reform movement of his time.
