Born in 1874 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Lewis W Hine is considered one of the fathers of investigative journalism. He's well known for his photographs of immigrants on Ellis Island and surprising pictures of child workers in mines and mills. At 18, he found himself a worker in a factory, putting in 13 hour days, 6 days a week as a result of his father's early death. This was one of the things that drove him to to spend his life combating child labor.
In 1930, having trouble keeping up with his bills, despite professional success, he accepted an offer to photograph the construction of the Empire State Building. His pictures of workers balancing high above the New York skyline became legendary. Who hasn't seen the photograph below of workmen eating lunch on the 69th floor of the GE building during the construction of Rockefeller Center?
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