Lewis Hine in Maryland | Curatorial Tour + Opening Reception

The Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery presents Lewis Hine in Maryland, on display from August 24 through December 18. The exhibition will be accompanied by Lisa Oppenheim/Lewis Hine: Spine/Verso.

From 1908 to 1924, documentary photographer Lewis Hine (American, 1874–1940) traveled throughout the United States, using his camera to document child labor on behalf of the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC). He photographed children working in coal mines, cotton mills, farms, tenements, and city streets. The NCLC used Hine’s photographs and eyewitness reports to support its campaigns for labor regulation and reform. His images appeared in pamphlets, posters, traveling exhibitions, and lantern-slide presentations across the country. Ultimately, these searing photographs helped shape labor legislation in the United States and established a model for documentary photography.

In July 1909, Hine visited Maryland, photographing child workers at Bottomley berry farms in Anne Arundel County and at the J. S. Farrand Packing Company in Baltimore. Drawn from UMBC’s Photography Collections, this exhibition explores the places and people behind these photographs. A selection of Hine’s most iconic and enduring images situates his Maryland work within the broader context of his documentary project. The exhibition also examines how Hine’s photographs functioned as tools of visual persuasion, working in tandem with captions, pamphlets, slogans, and posters to shape public opinion — and ultimately legislation — regarding the changing role of children in the workforce and in American society.

This exhibition commemorates MD250 and the U.S. Semiquincentennial, exploring themes foundational to the nation’s history, including immigration and migration, the power of documentary photographs, and social justice.

Public Programs

Curatorial tour and opening reception
Thursday September 17, 5 p.m.

Panel Discussion: Food and Labor in Maryland
Thursday October 22, 6 p.m., followed by a reception
This event is co-organized with Department of American Studies and the Orser Center for Public Humanities at UMBC.

Closing reception
Thursday December 4, 6 p.m.

All public program are free and open to the public.