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| Sadie Barton, 13 years old, Lancaster, South Carolina, November 1908. Photo by Lewis Hine. |
A typical Spinner, Lancaster Cotton Mills, S.C. Location: Lancaster,
South Carolina, November 1908, Lewis Hine.
"At the time, my mother may have seen it as an opportunity
rather than a bad thing. I think it is understandable for someone in better circumstances to say, ‘How sad.' But from
Mom's point of view, she would have been thankful that God had provided her a means to help her family. We should not have
child labor, and thank God our grandchildren are not exposed to it. Mom may have been faced with things we will never know,
but it did not destroy her spunk and strength. She was very much with me the day I learned about her picture. No words could
ever explain the depth of emotion I felt when I first saw it, knowing my mother was the beautiful girl in that photograph."
-Roberta Robinson, daughter of Sadie Barton
For 100 years, this beautiful girl stared out into the world, forgotten
and anonymous, characterized only as "typical spinner." When I saw her for the first time, I wondered why Lewis
Hine had not identified her. Did she refuse to give her name, or did the impatient looking woman in the background chase him
away? I vowed to find out who she was, what she was like, and
how her life turned out. So I tried something that had worked for me with several other unidentified children - I contacted
the local newspaper and asked them to publish the photo and an article about my research. They agreed, and I received a call
from reporter Greg Summers. On December 28, 2007, the photo appeared in the Lancaster News, and below it the article
began: "All Joe Manning has to go on is a faded yellow
1908 photograph of a young spinner standing beside a textile loom at Springs Mill's Lancaster Plant. Now, he wants to put
a name with it and he hopes that someone local recognizes her." The next day, I was contacted by an astonished family member who identified her as Sadie Barton. I notified Summers,
and several weeks later, he wrote in a follow-up article: "The
sixth of Sadie and James Harvey Howard's eight children, Zevie Neely, wept when she saw the image. ‘It's amazing what
the Lord can do. When I saw it, I couldn't believe my eyes. I didn't realize how beautiful Momma was and it's hard to look
at it and not cry. Just look at those beautiful hands. I see myself whenever I look at it.'" Over the course of the next few months, I corresponded frequently with Sadie's daughter Roberta Robinson, grandson
Ed Robinson, and great-granddaughter Shelley Robinson. As I was to learn, Sadie was much more than just a "typical spinner."
Continue with story of Sadie Barton
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