Homework: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Paid Labor at Home

Photograph

1911, December, 143 Hudson Street, New York – Mrs. Lucy Libertine and family (large detail)

Notes

Hine used descriptions as opposed to brief titles for his work, especially in this period. The full descriptive title of this image is: “Mrs. Lucy Libertine and family: Johnnie, 4 years old; Mary, 6 years; Millie, 9 [?] years, picking nuts in the basement tenement, 143 Hudson St. Mary was standing in the open mouth of the bag holding the cracked nuts (to be picked), with her dirty street shoes on, and using a huge dirty jackknife. On the right is the cobbler’s bench used by shoemaker in this room. They live in dark inner bedrooms, and filth abounds in all the room and in the dark, damp entry..”
As far as I can tell, the two contemporary photos below the Hine image are uncredited