The streetlamp flickers on at dusk as Harry—barely taller than the stack of papers in his arms—folds the evening edition one more time. At thirteen, his small frame moves quickly through Hartford's streets, calling out headlines to hurrying commuters. This photograph freezes one moment in his workday, a boy already shaped by America's hunger for news.
Thirteen-year-old Harry Weber sold newspapers on Hartford streets to support his family. Just four feet tall and newly arrived from Europe, he worked long hours for pennies. This photograph, taken at 7 P.M., documents the childhood labor that was ordinary—and unremarkable—for thousands of American children.
Reflect
How do children contribute to your household economy today, and what's changed since Harry's time?