Lena Helems, Page One

Mrs. Helems, Leeds, Mass., putting bristles into tooth brushes in an untidy kitchen. She makes about $4.65 a week usually. The sanitary conditions in most of these homes are pretty good, but some times filthy rooms are found and often tuberculosis with the work still going on. The company really seems to be trying to reduce the amount of home work. See also home work report. Location: Leeds, Massachusetts, 1912.

Most of Lewis Hine's child labor photographs depicted children, but some were of women working at home, since many companies farmed out work so that mothers did not have to bring small children to the mill. And because some states had established limited child labor regulations, companies could easily bypass them by claiming that children found working at home were simply helping their mothers. The Pro-Brush Company, of Florence, Massachusetts, established in 1866, was one of the companies that engaged in this practice. I happen to live in Florence. Both Leeds and Florence are distinct villages in Northampton.

I had already researched a photo in Leeds, nearly identical to the one above (see Lucy Lampron). It may have been taken on the same day. After a quick check of the census, I identified the woman as Lena Helems, and the boy as her son Leonard. In the city directories at the library, I determined that the house was at 6 Warner Row, a street off Florence Street in Leeds. I headed over there with the photo and my camera and found a dead-end street lined with what appeared to be mill houses.

I knocked, and a woman came to the door. I introduced myself and showed her the photo, explaining its significance. She was immediately interested and invited me in. Right away, with my camera, I was able to figure out exactly where Hine would have been standing when he took the picture, despite some remodeling that had taken place. It was quite a strange moment, knowing Hine had been there 95 years before.