Lewis Wickes Hine was a sociologist and photographer who used his camera to capture social injustices, particularly the labor abuses in his time. He was born in Wisconsin in 1874 to Douglas and Sarah Hine, a civil war veteran and educator, respectively. His career was set in motion when his father died in 1892, and Hine had to work to support his family. While working he experienced firsthand how young workers were exploited in the workplace. Determined to escape that life, he became an educator. His work as a photographer began at the school, where he was also tasked with documenting the social and academic life there. Up until 1917, Hine traveled to the southern US working as freelance photographer for the National Child Labor Committee, photographing the children working under extreme conditions. These images eventually convinced government officials to enforce labor laws. Some of his most iconic photos came from his later project, Men at Work. During the construction of the Empire State Building, Hine would balance up to 100 stories high and photograph the men working under dangerous conditions. During his lifetime, he captured powerful images of child labor, women in the workplace, World War I, immigration, New York City and the construction of the Empire State Building. Lewis Hine is a perfect example of someone who used photography not only as an art medium, but as a means for social reform.
Matthew Brady
FULL NAME Matthew Brady
BIRTH DATE c. 1823
PLACE OF BIRTH Lake George, New York
DEATH DATE January 15, 1896
PLACE OF DEATH New York, New York
Matthew Brady was one of the most celebrated celebrated photographers of the 19th century. Often credited as the father of professional photography, he is known for both his portraits of famous people and his eye-opening documentation of the American Civil War. During his time roaming the country with troops, he took powerful photographs of the things he saw. He invested over $100,000 to buy silver plates for the photographs, believing the US government would buy the photos after the war. When they didn't, he was left financially ruined. Shortly after his wife died, he died, completely penniless in a hospital charity ward.
Eadward muybridge
FULL NAME Edward James Muggeridge
BIRTH DATE April 9, 1830
PLACE OF BIRTH Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
DEATH DATE May 8, 1904
PLACE OF DEATH Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
Eadward Muybridge was an English photographer known for studying motion through photography. He created a device called the "Zoopraxiscope" a primitive form of the video camera which took a sequence of photographs, one after the other, using a timed shutter. The images created by the zoopraxiscope allowed us to see the motion of human and animals, frame by frame.
Dorothea lange
FULL NAME Dorothea Lange
BIRTH DATE May 26, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH Hoboken, New Jersey
DEATH DATE October 11, 1965
PLACE OF DEATH San Francisco, California
Dorothea Lange was an American photographer best known for her documentation of the Great Depression. Dorothea created the FSA (Farm Security Administration) to investigate the living and working conditions of farm workers and their families. Using her camera, she took inspiring and intriguing photos of the common people of America.