The artwork, entitled “Boy Making Melon Baskets, Evansville, Indiana, 1908,” created by Lewis Hine, was produced in 1908 and falls under the Social Realism art movement. This photograph is a part of the National Child Labor Committee photographs series.
The artwork depicts a young boy intently focused on his task of constructing melon baskets. Clad in work clothes, the boy uses a tool, likely a hammer, to assemble the baskets. The scene is set in what appears to be an industrial or workshop environment, with stacks of wooden materials surrounding him. The photograph captures the solemnity and gravity of child labor during this period, effectively conveying the challenges and circumstances faced by young workers. The background is slightly out of focus, emphasizing the boy as the central figure, a common technique employed by Hine to draw attention to the human element in his work. This poignant image serves as a historical document and a powerful commentary on the social conditions of early 20th-century America.
