A black-and-white photograph of a muscular man crouched next to a large piece of machinery that he is adjusting with a wrench.

Steamfitter

Lewis W. Hine (1874-1940)

Date

1921
Object Type

Photographs
Medium

Gelatin silver print
Dimensions

Image: 16 9/16 x 12 1/4 in.
Sheet: 16 7/8 x 12 5/8 in.
Inscriptions

Recto:
u.l. to u.r.: [crop marks]
Sheet Recto:
u.c. in graphite: 2
Verso:
u. in graphite: 2 \ 42 \ 1200-
l.r. in graphite: T8450-11-2
l.r. [upsidedown rubber stamp]: LEWIS W. HINE \ Work Portraits \ HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, N. Y.
Credit Line

Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas
Accession Number

P1981.80.3
Copyright

Public domain

Originally a sociologist and teacher, Hine started using a camera as a tool for activism and in the process became one of the great photographers of the 20th century. Never feigning objectivity, he once said: “There are two things I wanted to do. I wanted to show the things that had to be corrected. I wanted to show the things that had to be appreciated.”

Steamfitter is from a series that attempted the latter, celebrating modern laborers like construction workers, railroad builders, and, as here, power plant workers. Hine believed that the worker was not diminished by the scale and power of the machinery around him, since it was all invented, built, and operated by humans.

American Photographs, 1845 to Now

August 20, 2016–February 12, 2017

American Photographs brings together more than 70 photographs that span the history of the medium and reflect the diversity of photographic practices during America’s industrial development, highlighting the central role of photography in the United States.

Location: Off view

See more by Lewis Wickes Hine

Educator Resources

How might artists highlight the importance of the daily lives and experiences of ordinary people?

How do physical items like clothes and accessories, or physical aspects like facial expression and pose, convey a message to the viewer?

What is the relationship between people and machines, and how has that relationship changed over time?
All Levels

Students will think about the effect of power and capability that Hine created in this photograph. Guide them to think of an industry or event that they are familiar with that requires strong, capable people. Students will create an image of that industry or event that conveys that sense of power and capability of the people who participate.

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