In Child Labor in the Carolinas: Account of Investigations Made in the Cotton Mills of North and South Carolina, by Rev. A. E. Seddon, A. H. Ulm and Lewis W. Hine, Hine said of the textile mills in South Carolina: "In general, I found these were considerably worse than conditions in North Carolina, both as to the age and number of small children employed. In Chester, South Carolina, an overseer told me frankly that manufacturers in all the South evaded the child labor laws by letting youngsters who are under age help older brothers and sisters. The names of the younger ones do not appear on the company books and the pay goes to the older child who is above twelve."

This photo is typical of Lewis Hine's best work. His respect for the child is evident here. The apparent mill housing in the background is barely noticeable, the camera clearly focussing on the boy. Archie's handsome face is perfectly lit, and he looks comfortable in his role as the photographer's subject. Hine wants us to believe that this boy could be one of our children, not some pitiful waif with whom the outside observer might not empathize.

It didn’t take long to find Archie's death record. Thanks to Tally Johnson of the Chester Public Library, I obtained an obituary, and subsequently managed to locate and contact two sons, both in South Carolina. One of them, Neil Love, was completely unaware of the photo, but the other, Paul Love, had seen it. Paul's comments (pages three and four) were edited from his many emails. Alll of the family photos were provided by Paul Love.

Archie Ariel Love was born November 15, 1894, in Chester, South Carolina. His father was Charles A. Love, who was born in 1869, and died in 1900. His mother was Rebecca Hoag, who was born in 1872, and died in 1946. After Charles died, she married Henry A. Thompson, and he died in 1943.