Striking photos of America's child laborers reveal what work was like a century ago

Lewis Hine/Library of Congress

An exhibit panel.

The bloody origins of Labor Day - a holiday carved out from the post-Civil War clashes between workers and employers - have largely faded from public memory.

The day off is still a good time relax, but it's worth remembering the grueling conditions faced by workers before the arrival of protections we often take for granted, like weekends off or 40-hour workweeks.

The first Labor Day was Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City.

The American labor force has continued to evolve since then, but one of the biggest differences may be who is doing the work.

Lewis Hine, a photographer for the National Child Labor Committee, captured photos of some of the children who made up the US labor force between 1908 and 1924.

Hine traveled throughout the US, documenting children working in factories, fields, and at home in support the NCLC's mission to promote the "rights, awareness, dignity, well-being and education of children and youth as they relate to work and working."

The photos below, compiled by the Library of Congress, are the result of Hine and the NCLC's work.

The descriptions come from NCLC caption cards, edited for clarity and length.