Read All About It! 1912

Editor: This photograph, “Read All About It!” was taken by Lewis Hine in 1912. It's a stark, monochrome image, and I'm struck by the loneliness of this young newsboy standing alone in the middle of such a vast street. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: The symbolism here is incredibly layered. Hine often used children in his photographs to represent vulnerability, and the newspapers this boy clutches speak volumes about the transfer of information and power. Consider the location: what national building do you observe behind him? Editor: Is that… the Capitol Building? Curator: Exactly. Hine juxtaposes the innocence of youth with the weighty affairs of the nation, suggesting that even the youngest members of society are affected by, and perhaps even carry, the burden of national events. What message do you believe that sends? Editor: I guess it highlights the lack of innocence back then and also that it is the young who have to bear those burdens. And you can see the architecture looming there in the background too! It definitely underscores that somber feeling. It is a little like he is in the middle of that street – at the heart of it all. Curator: Precisely. It prompts us to reflect on the symbols of power and who benefits, who carries these symbols, and for what future they strive. Every detail in this photo conveys not just social commentary but serves to challenge our interpretation of societal responsibility and purpose. Editor: That gives me so much more to consider about the meaning that Hine embedded within this picture. Curator: And how symbols still evolve. Something captured like this photo gains new significance in later eras, based on how we are primed to see meaning in pictures.