Many of These There: 1908

Those window sills don't encourage sitting down on the job, even if the kids had a quick chance for a moment's respite.

This might be one of the best pieces of art published on Shorpy. Breathtaking contrasts. And her fate, and that of many other mill people of the time, was likely to a hard life with few rewards. Like everyone else of the era and area, but different.

This picture makes me feel somewhat melancholy. The young lady could easily be a relative of mine, as my family hails from the Gaston-Lincoln County area (where this photo was made) and was heavily involved in textiles. Her visage suggests a child that has experienced things far beyond her years. She should be involved in the activities preferred by girls of her age, but undoubtedly, her wages were necessary for her family to make ends meets.

I often look at the pictures on Shorpy and wonder what it would have been like to grow up in the life of privilege that seems to have been enjoyed by many featured in photographs, as well as some who post their own photos and commentary on this site. I was the son of textile employees with limited income, so college seemed to truly be only a dream. But to my surprise, my father’s company covered a large portion of the costs for my first degree, which then opened the door to my earning a master’s. The cycle of the cotton mill was broken and my children didn’t have to live the life I had lived in cadence with previous generations.

"Lint heads" are often seen as a sub-cast caste, and yes, many lack in formal education. And yet, in the heat of the textile plant, among the din of the machinery, one can easily find good, hardworking people with dreams, hopes, and aspirations – at least for their children, if not for themselves.

Unlike most others we've seen in the mills, she has what appears to be a good pair of boots.

These days this girl would be at home watching Jersey Shore and other televised dreck instead of working. I don't know what's worse.