[John Dempsey (looked 11 or 12) years old. Said he helped only on Saturdays. Jackson Mill, Fiskeville, R. I. (One of the B. B. and R. Knight mills). He was working faithfully in the mule-spinning room, a dangerous place for boys. I found no others below 14 in this mill,]. Location: Fiskeville, Rhode Island. – Antique Wall Art
![[John Dempsey (looked 11 or 12) years old. Said he helped only on Saturdays. Jackson Mill, Fiskeville, R. I. (One of the B. B. and R. Knight mills). He was working faithfully in the mule-spinning room, a dangerous place for boys. I found no others below 14 in this mill,]. Location: Fiskeville, Rhode Island., 1909 April. — historic photograph](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/50/5018ec8775c9-L.jpg)
(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
[John Dempsey (looked 11 or 12) years old. Said he helped only on Saturdays. Jackson Mill, Fiskeville, R. I. (One of the B. B. and R. Knight mills). He was working faithfully in the mule-spinning room, a dangerous place for boys. I found no others below 14 in this mill,]. Location: Fiskeville, Rhode Island. comes to life in this historic photograph, reproduced from the original with every detail intact. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.
Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. A conversation-starting piece for home, office, or as a meaningful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.
[John Dempsey (looked 11 or 12) years old. Said he helped only on Saturdays. Jackson Mill, Fiskeville, R. I. (One of the B. B. and R. Knight mills). He was working faithfully in the mule-spinning room, a dangerous place for boys. I found no others below 14 in this mill,]. Location: Fiskeville, Rhode Island.
Order a print
Thank you. Your order went through, and a receipt is on its way by email.
Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal
Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.
John Dempsey, whom the photographer estimated to be 11 or 12, told him he worked at the Jackson Mill in Fiskeville, Rhode Island, only on Saturdays. The mill belonged to the B. B. and R. Knight company, and the boy was tending the spinning mules, large machines that were especially hazardous for children to work around. Hine's notes record that he found no other workers under 14 in that mill. The April 1909 print was made during the National Child Labor Committee's documentation of New England textile mills, and the attribution to Hine rests on the picture's provenance rather than a signed credit.
| Created / published | 1909 April. |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 photographic print. |
| Genre | Photographic prints. |
| Notes | Attribution to Hine based on provenance. In album: Mills. Title from NCLC caption card for Hine no. 677. Hine no. 0678. |
| Subjects | Boys. Textile mill workers. Spinning machinery.United States--Rhode Island--Fiskeville. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 1,536 × 1,110 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-113750 |
More from the Historic Print Archive collection
Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.
![[Mill boys pitching pennies on the Main St. in the afternoon. One said he sweeps. One said I was workin' but got canned 'cause I was not fast enough." The other was "jest hangin' around."] Location: Fall River Massachusetts. / Lewis W. Hine."](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/ce/ce5934ee87d6-400.webp)
![One of the young spinners in the Quidwick Co. Mill. Anthony, R. I. (A Polish boy Willie) who was taking his noon rest in a doffer-box. [...] Location: Anthony, Rhode Island.](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/e3/e3e1b4019642-400.webp)
![[Back boy - 14 years old - Mule room. Berkshire Cotton Mills.] Location: Adams, Massachusetts. / Lewis W. Hine.](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/28/285ab4027edc-400.webp)


