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NEW / OLD FROM THE VINTAGRAPH VAULTS >> THE FIRST THANKSGIVING
Lacy and Savannah: 1908
Submitted by Dave on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 11:25am.
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November 1908: Gastonia, North Carolina. Lacy, 12 years old, and Savannah, 11. Have worked two years. Father said "The little one is a crackerjack 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.) View full size. Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine.
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They might have been tougher...
Submitted by madelaine on Thu, 12/06/2007 - 3:24pm.
but how long did they live?
Re: Spinner's elbow
Submitted by mad4books on Sat, 11/03/2007 - 6:41am.
Lacy's arm was the first thing I noticed! Maybe set wrong after a break?
(My 2 cents: Thank God the little girls of Gastonia have labor laws in place today! America has a 99% literacy rate for women over the age of 15, a statistic many, MANY countries can't claim...)
Tougher, or just used harder?
Submitted by Charlene on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 10:21pm.
Considering how many people died before their 40th birthday of things we'd expect to deal with only in our 70s, I'm not sure if they were tougher.
My dad worked like that when he was a kid: by the time he was 45 he was crippled with arthritis from overwork.
Spinner's elbow?
Submitted by Anonymous Tipster on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 6:53pm.
The left arms of both girls appear to be at an odd angle from their right, especially Lacy's. Could that be one of the occupational hazards?
1908
Submitted by shefindsu on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 3:43pm.
Look at the wrinkles already in that child's forehead. They were tougher back then than the kids are now.
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