The artwork titled “Boys Selling Newspapers on Brooklyn Bridge,” created by artist Lewis Hine in 1908, belongs to the art movement known as Social Realism. This photograph is part of the “National Child Labor Committee photographs” series and captures young newspaper sellers on the Brooklyn Bridge, exemplifying the genre of social documentary photography.
The photograph presents a group of boys, evidently engaged in selling newspapers, standing before a storefront with signs indicating a “Lunch Room.” The boys, dressed in period attire, hold stacks of newspapers, with one prominently displaying a copy of “The Morning Telegraph.” The expressions on their faces convey a sense of determination and the harsh realities of child labor during that era. The composition is rich in historical context, providing insight into early 20th-century urban life and labor conditions. The artwork strongly emphasizes the theme of social reform, characteristic of Hine’s work and the Social Realism movement.
