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Boston, Massachusetts. January 25, 1917. "Boys linking bed-springs. 14 and 15 years old." Glass negative by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
Are those some kind of 'pull-on' sleeves the one boy is wearing? Probably adds a little protection from wire cuts.
[Those are armbands. - Dave]
I too do not believe in child labor as it was then but I'm not crazy about the silver platter so many "apprentice adults" are handed now either. There's plenty of safe, necessary work to be done around any home and too many parents who don't recognize the value to the child of contributing to the ongoing of home and family. For these children, labor was often a substitute for school and that is truly sad.
Thank you for continuing to remind us of what it was like those many years ago.
It is so interesting to see people that age working that hard. This is a great insight to how much life has changed in the past 90 years.
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