During the early 1900s in Alabama, it wasn’t uncommon for young children to work in factory mills. They did this for little to no pay, and even sometimes working as many as 19 hours a day. In addition to working long hours, the working conditions were horrible. Most of the children were beaten, verbally abused, and some were even killed while on the job.
Avondale Mills was a system of textile mills that were primarily located in Alabama. Avondale, a suburb of Birmingham, was the location of the first mill, which was the basis of the company’s name.
Avondale Mills was founded in 1897. Until it closed in 2006, it had employed thousands of people. In 1900, out of 774 employees, 187 were children between the ages of 8 and 15. Most of them had little to no education. According to state law at the time, children had to be educated and couldn’t work in factories unless they were at least 12 years old. The factory owner was able to get around this because the children were recruited to “assist” their parents in the factory, so they weren’t “official” employees.
In 1910, Lewis Wickes Hine, famous photographer and American sociologist, visited Avondale Mills. He snapped a few photos of the child workers, in addition to interviewing them.
Listed below are 17 rare images that Lewis Wickes Hine snapped of these child workers.
Note: The words within the quotations belong to Lewis Wickes Hine, and a “doffer” is someone who removes empty bobbins, pins or spindles from machines and replaces them with new ones.
- “‘OUR BABY DOFFER’ they called him. Donnie Cole. Has been doffing for some months. When asked his age, he hesitated, then said, “I’m Twelve.” Another young boy said ‘He can’t work unless he’s twelve.’”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “Group of workers in Avondale Mills. Smallest boy is John Tidwell, been doffing 3 months. Boy next to him is Ragin Bryant, been doffing here for five years.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “Three youngsters in Avondale Mills. Boy in middle, John Douglas said, ‘I’ve been to school my eight weeks. Work now. Been workin’ a year.’” (None of them, even the tiniest, would admit being under twelve.)
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “Overseer and two of the doffer boys, Charles Hennessy and John Douglass in Avondale Mills. Noon hour. Overseer said, ‘we’ve got 30 of ’em.’”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “John Tidwell, a Cotton Mill Product. Doffer in Avondale Mills. Many of these youngsters smoke.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “‘OUR BABY DOFFER’ and some of the other infants all working in Avondale Mills.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “Noon hour at Avondale Mills. I saw this young girl working at her machine in the mill.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “One of the young doffers in Avondale Mills.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “‘OUR BABY DOFFER’ and some of the other doffers all working in Avondale Mills.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “Noon hour, Avondale Mills. The next day, Nov. 24th, I went through the mills during working hours and saw this young girl and six others like her working in the spinning and weave rooms.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “Two girls (not the youngest) who work in Avondale Mills.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “Noon hour at Avondale Mills. I saw this young girl working at her machine in the mill.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “John Tidwell, doffer in Avondale Mills.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “Noon hour at Avondale Mills. The youngest boy (on left end) said he had been doffing there four years.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “All these (except the baby) work in Avondale Mills.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “Workers in Avondale Mills.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
- “Noon hour. Going to work in Avondale Mills. I saw these girls at work inside.”
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
What do you think of these historic images? It’s incredibly sad to sit and think about everything these innocent children endured while working at this textile factory. Nearly two decades after these photos were taken, the Great Depression began. For 20 rare photos that were captured in Alabama during this dark time in history, click here.
Library of Congress/Lewis Wickes Hine - Photographer
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