This is such a beautiful photo, so rich in detail, and it perfectly captures a typical urban scene of that era. Note the vertical sign for the pool hall just around the corner on the left. Look at all the signs in the window of the store, which sells stationery among what must have been shelves and shelves full of items. No doubt, there would have been something curious in there to catch everyone's eye. On a busy corner, this store must have been one of the hubs of Wilmington, a great location to be selling newspapers.

Somehow, little James seems to own the spot, perhaps a sign that he has already learned his trade well and will grow up to be a sharp businessman. But he also looks so tiny facing the seemingly tall man, a reminder of his vulnerability. Several decades later, Norman Rockwell would often position children in his paintings in much the same way, allowing us to see the child's view of the world. Perhaps he learned something from Lewis Hine's work.

This turned out to be my fastest search for a descendant ever. I saw the photo one morning before breakfast, and after a few clicks on the computer, I found his correct name - Logullo, not Lequlla. On a hunch, I looked up the last name in the Wilmington White Pages and found a Jim Logullo listed at the office of the Boys and Girls Club. I called at 9:00 sharp, and he answered. He was intrigued by the mention of the photo in the Library of Congress. He gave me his email address, and I sent off the picture. A minute later, he said, "Just got it. That's my grandfather. That's really something." He gave me the phone number of one of James's sons, and within days, I had interviewed him.

Hine is sometimes criticized for underestimating the ages of his subjects, allegedly to inflate the number of children found under the legal age set by the child labor laws of the time. My research of about 160 photos so far has turned up only a handful of such examples, all just one year off. In the case of James Logullo, we have the error in reverse. Social Security death records and Logullo's son confirm that the boy was born on December 6, 1902, making him only 7 ½ years old when he was photographed. Indeed, he looks that young. According to own testimony, he had already been selling newspapers for three years.

According to census information, he was the son of Italian immigrants, Joseph (originally Giuseppe) and Teresa Logullo, both of whom entered the US about 1900. They were married shortly after. James was the first of at least eight children. His father was a fruit merchant. In 1920, James is listed as a chauffeur, probably a taxi driver. In 1930, he is living in Wilmington with his wife, Anna, and two children, five and six years old. His occupation is still listed as chauffeur, and he rents his house. He passed away in October of 1978, at the age of 75.