Child Exploitation Collection

Shoemakers workshops, some of the employees are children. Italy 1897 Photography
FGL5496256 Shoemakers workshops, some of the employees are children. Italy 1897 Photography; Fototeca Gilardi.

Portrait of a group of workers from a carpentry workshop, among children and minors
FGL5496267 Portrait of a group of workers from a carpentry workshop, among children and minors. Italy, late 19th century Photography; Fototeca Gilardi.

Lombe's silk mill, Derby, 1843
3480223 Lombe's silk mill, Derby, 1843; (add.info.: Lombe's silk mill, Derby: Throwing (twisting) silk by hand. While the man turned the wheel

Child labour in America 1900's (b/w photo)
2597630 Child labour in America 1900's (b/w photo); (add.info.: Night scene in 1912. Children and women making violets while living in a dreary tenement. The six year old helps some)

Chimney sweep and boy
3478935 Chimney sweep and boy; (add.info.: Chimney sweep and boy, London, 17th century, circa 1688.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Illustration depicting a young boy making chests, 1880 (illustration)
5616505 Illustration depicting a young boy making chests, 1880 (illustration); Universal History Archive/UIG.

the Neapolitan shoe shiners at work in Marseille, 1909 (postcard)
PCT4716129 the Neapolitan shoe shiners at work in Marseille, 1909 (postcard); (add.info.: Italian immigration to France: the Neapolitan shoe shiners at work in Marseille at the beginning of the 20th)

A boot boy giving a flower to one of his regular customers, 1850 (engraving)
3478709 A boot boy giving a flower to one of his regular customers, 1850 (engraving); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Capital letters Plate in "Picturesque alphabet or New informative and picturesque alphabet", 1892 (engraving)
DUV4220237 Capital letters Plate in "Picturesque alphabet or New informative and picturesque alphabet", 1892 (engraving); 27x17.5 cm; (add.info)

Young boy in a workshop helping a worker to make Rope Tobacco, 1841
3478708 Young boy in a workshop helping a worker to make Rope Tobacco, 1841; (add.info.: Young boy in a workshop helping a worker to make Rope Tobacco, 1841.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

The Pastry Seller from Les Cris de Paris 1823-25 (litho)
XIR189530 The Pastry Seller from Les Cris de Paris 1823-25 (litho) by Vernet, Carle (1758-1836); Musee de la Ville de Paris, Musee Carnavalet, Paris, France; (add.info.: By Carle Vernet)

Women and children work in dangerous conditions, 1851
3478934 Women and children work in dangerous conditions, 1851 by Unknown Artist, (19th century); (add.info.: Women and children work in dangerous conditions in the doubling room)

Spindle boys in Georgia cotton mill c. 1909 (coloured photo)
7286991 Spindle boys in Georgia cotton mill c. 1909 (coloured photo) by Hine, Lewis Wickes (1874-1940); Private Collection; (add.info)

Lewis_Hine, Cigarmakers, Tampa, Florida 1909 (coloured photo)
7286995 Lewis_Hine, Cigarmakers, Tampa, Florida 1909 (coloured photo) by Hine, Lewis Wickes (1874-1940); Private Collection; (add.info)

Young coal miner at Turkey Knob Mine, West Virginia. 1908 (coloured photo)
7286994 Young coal miner at Turkey Knob Mine, West Virginia. 1908 (coloured photo) by Hine, Lewis Wickes (1874-1940); Private Collection; (add.info)

Newsboys after midnight, 1912 (photo)
7286035 Newsboys after midnight, 1912 (photo) by Hine, Lewis Wickes (1874-1940); Private Collection; Prismatic Pictures

Young coal miner at Turkey Knob Mine, West Virginia. 1908 (photo)
7286052 Young coal miner at Turkey Knob Mine, West Virginia. 1908 (photo) by Hine, Lewis Wickes (1874-1940); Private Collection; (add.info)

Spindle boys in Georgia cotton mill c. 1909 (photo)
7286046 Spindle boys in Georgia cotton mill c. 1909 (photo) by Hine, Lewis Wickes (1874-1940); Private Collection; Prismatic Pictures

Chimney sweeps boy in May Day dress, 1800s. 1821 (engraving)
7234196 Chimney sweeps boy in May Day dress, 1800s. 1821 (engraving) by Alexander, William (1767-1816) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Chimney sweeps boy in May Day dress, 1800s)

Chinese children collecting horse manure, 18th century. 1822 (engraving)
7234141 Chinese children collecting horse manure, 18th century. 1822 (engraving) by Alexander, William (1767-1816) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: Chinese children collecting horse manure)

Mid-Summer, East Hampton, New York, 1893 (oil on canvas)
6431744 Mid-Summer, East Hampton, New York, 1893 (oil on canvas) by Harper, John William (1851-1910); 79.2x111.8 cm; Private Collection

The Seamstress, 1898 (oil on canvas)
7074515 The Seamstress, 1898 (oil on canvas) by Bouguereau, William-Adolphe (1825-1905); 115.5x71 cm; Private Collection

"A Time for Cricket, "But not when "On the Queens Business"(engraving)
7188290 " A Time for Cricket, " But not when " On the Queens Business" (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: " A Time for Cricket)

"Sweep your doorstep, mum?"(colour litho)
7181699 " Sweep your doorstep, mum?" (colour litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: " Sweep your doorstep, mum)

"Sweet Lavender"(colour litho)
7181915 " Sweet Lavender" (colour litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: " Sweet Lavender." Illustration for Bubbles edited by Dr Barnardo (1903)

The Flower Seller (engraving)
7188311 The Flower Seller (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Flower Seller. Illustration for Home Words (1892)

The Bellman, a London Wharf and Coal-ship and coal barge
6340336 The Bellman, a London Wharf and Coal-ship and coal barge by Taylor, Isaac (1730-1807); (add.info.: The Bellman, a London Wharf and Coal-ship and coal barge)

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"Unveiling the Dark Reality: Child Exploitation Through the Ages" Step back in time and witness a haunting glimpse into the lives of countless children who were subjected to unimaginable hardships. From dangerous working conditions to hazardous environments, their innocence was stolen as they became mere pawns in an unforgiving world. In 1851, women and children found themselves trapped in treacherous circumstances, forced to work under perilous conditions that robbed them of their childhood. The echoes of their struggles reverberate through history, captured forever in photographs like "Three Young Newsboys Smoking" from Saint Louis, Missouri in 1910. The spindle boys of Georgia cotton mills circa 1909 bear witness to another chapter stained with exploitation. Their young faces etched with weariness tell tales of tireless labor and lost dreams. Lewis Hine's poignant photograph "Cigarmakers" taken in Tampa, Florida in 1909 further exposes this grim reality. Venturing deeper into darkness reveals the plight of young coal miners at Turkey Knob Mine, West Virginia. In both colored photos from 1908 and black-and-white images from various years, these brave souls confront danger daily while society turns a blind eye. Newsboys too were not spared from this cruel fate; even after midnight they roamed the streets trying to eke out a living amidst adversity. A striking image frozen in time captures their resilience amidst despair during those early hours of survival. Yet child exploitation transcends borders and eras; it is an affliction that has plagued humanity for centuries. Chimney sweeps dressed as May Day revelers during the 1800s serve as a chilling reminder that no age or occasion could shield these innocent souls from exploitation's grip. Even across oceans, Chinese children collecting horse manure throughout the eighteenth century faced similar fates - condemned by societal norms that disregarded their well-being entirely.