|
|
|
| Phoebe Thomas, Eastport, Maine, August 14, 1911. Photo by Lewis Hine. |
Eight year old Syrian girl, Pheobe [i.e. Phoebe] Thomas, going to work at 6 a.m.,
August 14, with great butcher knife, to cut sardines in Seacoast Canning Co. Factory #4, Eastport Me. Said she was a cutter,
and I saw her working later. (See photos of her accident, #2444, #2445, #2449.) Location: Eastport, Maine, Lewis Hine.
There are a number of Lewis Hine photos taken in Eastport that show young
boys using a large knife to cut fish. Some show them with cut fingers. But this one is different and much more disturbing,
partly because the child is an 8-year-old girl instead of a boy, but mostly because of the ominous notation in Hine's caption:
"See photos of her accident, #2444, #2445, #2449." When I saw this, I was afraid to look at the other photos. Together,
the four pictures construct a drama, unlike any other photos in Hine's vast catalogue. That drama ends on an alarming note,
as you will see below.
|
|
| Phoebe Thomas, Eastport, Maine, August 14, 1911. Photo by Lewis Hine. |
In center of the picture is Phoebe Thomas, 8 year old Syrian girl,
running home from the factory all alone, her hand and arm bathed with blood, crying at the top of her voice. She had cut the
end of her thumb nearly off, cutting sardines in the factory, and was sent home alone, her mother being busy. The loss of
blood was considerable, and might have been serious. Location: Eastport, Maine, August 1911, Lewis Hine.
Click both photos above to see larger size.
More photos, and Phoebe's story
|
