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| Lacy and Savannah Ballard, Gastonia, North Carolina, 1908. Photo by Lewis Hine. |
Lacy
(12 yrs. old) and Savannah (11 yrs old) Have worked two years. Father said "The little one is a cracker jack on spinnin',
at least so the boss says. She ain't satisfied unless in the mill. The oldest one isn't so good at it. Not as quick."
(Note the tense, serious looks on the younger. Older one more like a real girl.) Location: Gastonia, North Carolina, November
1908, Lewis Hine.
After many months of attempting to identify these girls, and being led
down one long path that turned up the wrong family, I stumbled upon a posting of this photo on the National Archives website
and was shocked to discover that, unlike the caption on the Library of Congress site, there was one important addition:
the last name was given as Ballard. My subsequent research revealed that this is correct, and I have since contacted descendants
of both girls.
Back to Lewis Hine Gallery, Page Eight
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