Grown Too Soon: The Boys of the Mines

Man has dug deep into the surface of the earth for centuries, seeking the precious, hidden treasures lying beneath the visible landscape. Compelling photographs taken by Lewis W. Hine during the 1900s of the young boys working in the coal mines as breakers and colliers inspired this piece. The working day for these boys was long, dangerous, and dark. The only glimpse of daylight they got was typically during a brief lunch break before heading back down the shaft once again. For these boys, unless they were injured or killed in the mines, it was the beginning of a life’s work, deep into the depths of the earth beneath their feet.
(Original images courtesy Library of Congress.)