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Lewis Wickes Hine (September 16, 1874 - November 3, 1940), was an American photographer. For Hine, the camera was both a research tool and an instrument of social reform.
Born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Hine studied sociology at the University of Chicago, Columbia University, and New York University. He began his career in 1904, photographing immigrants arriving in the United States at Ellis Island in New York Harbor. In 1908, he became the photographer for the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC). Over the next decade, Hine documented child labor in American industry to aid the NCLC's lobbying served as chief photographer for the Works Progress Administration's (WPA) National Research Project, which studied changes in industry and their effect on employment. Hine was also a member of the faculty of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School.
The National Archives holds nearly 2,000 Hine photographs, including examples of his child labor and Red Cross photographs, his work portraits, and his WPA and TVA images.
Notable Photographs