The prompt image this week is of Western Union bicycle messengers. What caught my eye was that young boy, with bare feet, and it got me thinking of other boys working, in that time period of the early 1900's.
August 1904: Image of a newsboy holding newspapers and standing next to a paper stand on a commercial street in Chicago, Illinois. A pedestrian is visible in the foreground.
From the Chicago Daily News archive, part of American Memory at the Library of Congress.
As this collection points out, selling newspapers was one of the few jobs young boys could get. Some significantly added to their families' income. On the other hand, many of the boys worked on the street instead of going to school, and child labor laws did not exist in this era.
See information about the work and photographs of Lewis Hine for more information.
Still, this photograph is a window into early Chicago. I love the outfit and hat that the woman is wearing!
Viridian
