Picking Berries, Connecticut after 1915

Editor: This is Lewis Hine's "Picking Berries, Connecticut." It's a black and white photograph, and it feels incredibly somber to me. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Hine’s focus was often on the means of production and the social context. These children, their labor, and the very berries they pick all point to a system of consumption. Do you think the materiality of their clothing, the metal buckets, plays a role here? Editor: I guess so, there's a contrast between the metal and the berries themselves. It's also sad to think of them working so hard. Thanks, I didn't think about it that way! Curator: Understanding the materials really helps contextualize the lives depicted.