Edward St. Germain and his sister Delia, mill workers, Phoenix, Rhode Island, April 1909 1909

Lewis Hine made this photograph of Edward St. Germain and his sister Delia, mill workers, in Phoenix, Rhode Island in April 1909. The approach is very direct, almost like a mugshot. I imagine Hine seeing the composition in terms of lines, the siding on the building, the lines of the window frame. There is a formality to the composition, the three children are evenly spaced in front of the building. Delia, perhaps ten years old, stares directly at the camera with her hand on her hip, radiating an almost defiant attitude. The two boys wear caps and jackets, with long socks and boots. The background is simple, a clapboard building with a foundation of rough stone. The photograph is sepia-toned, giving it a sense of history and timelessness. Hine's work reminds me of someone like Dorothea Lange, who also documented the lives of working-class people during the Great Depression. Both artists used their cameras to bring attention to the struggles of the poor and marginalized, creating a powerful record of American life in the 20th century. Art can shine a light on things we would prefer not to see.