Doffer Collection

Carding Cotton, 1866
3479125 Carding Cotton, 1866; (add.info.: Carding cotton: view of drum covered spirally with wire cards known as the doffer'. Dated 1866.); Universal History Archive/UIG

A young Polish spinner in the Quidwick Co. Mill. Anthony, R. I 1909 (photo)
685152 A young Polish spinner in the Quidwick Co. Mill. Anthony, R. I 1909 (photo) by Hine, Lewis Wickes (1874-1940); (add.info.: One of the young spinners in the Quidwick Co. Mill. Anthony, R. I)

Young Boy Working as Doffer in Globe Cotton Mill, Augusta, Georgia, USA, c
5858505 Young Boy Working as Doffer in Globe Cotton Mill, Augusta, Georgia, USA, c.1909 (sepia photo) by Hine, Lewis Wickes (1874-1940); Private Collection; American, out of copyright

Two female workers in a flax mill with bobbins of spun flax in Dundee, Scotland. 16 October 1931

Working Bobbins
3rd July 1948: A barefoot girl doffer in a steamy wet spinning mill where Irish linen is produced. Her work is to change the bobbins in the spinning frames

HINE: SHOOTING MARBLES, 1908. Young doffers at the Kesler Mfg. Co. shooting marbles in front of the employee housing in Salisbury, North Carolina. Photograph by Lewis Hine, December 1908

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1912. A group of young doffers at the Liberty Cotton Mill in Clayton, North Carolina. Photographed by Lewis Hine, October 1912

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1909. Young textile mill workers with a supervisor at the Payne Cotton Mill in Macon, Georgia. Photograph by Lewis Hine, January 1909

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1909. Doffer boys with a supervisor at the Bibbings Manufacturing Company in Macon, Georgia. Photograph by Lewis Hine, January 1909

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1908. A young sweeper and doffers with a supervisor in the Lancaster Cotton Mills, one of the worst places found for child labor in Lancaster, South Carolina

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1909. A young doffer working in the Globe Cotton Mill in Augusta, Georgia. Photograph by Lewis Hine, January 1909

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1908. Young doffers working at their machines at the Cherryville Mfg. Co. in Cherryville, North Carolina. Photograph by Lewis Hine, November 1908

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1908. Young doffers pushing carts filled with spools of thread in the Trenton Mills in Gastonia, North Carolina. Photograph by Lewis Hine, November 1908

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1911. A group of young sweepers and doffers in the filling spinning room of Glenallen Mill in Winchendon, Massachusetts. Photographed by Lewis Hine, September 1911

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1911. Young textile mill boys at a cotton mill in Roanoke, Virginia. Photograph by Lewis Hine, May 1911

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1908. Young spinners and doffers at the Lancaster Cotton Mills in Lancaster, South Carolina. Photograph by Lewis Hine, 1908

Doffer in a Lincolnton, (NC) mill. Location: Lincolnton, North Carolina. Date 1918 November

A doffer boy in Globe Cotton Mill, Augusta, Ga. Location: Augusta, Georgia. Date 1909 January

HINE: HUNTER, 1908. A young worker holding a dead rabbit and rifle after hunting near Dillon Mills, where the boy had been a doffer since he was four-years old, South Carolina

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"Doffer: A Glimpse into the Lives of Young Textile Mill Workers" Step back in time to 1909, where a young Polish spinner named Anthony finds himself immersed in the bustling Quidwick Co. Mill in Anthony, R. I. Captured in a poignant photograph, his youthful face reflects both determination and weariness as he carries out his duties as a doffer. Across the ocean in Augusta, Georgia, another young boy toils away as a doffer at Globe Cotton Mill. The image portrays him amidst the clattering machinery, showcasing the harsh reality of child labor during that era. Meanwhile, two female workers stand proudly beside bobbins filled with spun flax at a mill in Dundee, Scotland. Their presence challenges gender norms and highlights their vital contribution to the textile industry. Lewis Hine's lens transports us further into this world of laborious work. In one frame from 1908, we witness young doffers shooting marbles at Kesler Mfg. , momentarily escaping their demanding roles within the mill. Hine's photographs also shed light on group dynamics within these mills. At Liberty Cotton Mill in Clayton and Bibbings Manufacturing Company alike, groups of young doffers huddle together under watchful supervisors' eyes - united by shared experiences yet burdened by their responsibilities. The images captured by Hine reveal not only individual stories but also collective struggles endured by these children working tirelessly for long hours each day. Sweeping floors or pushing carts filled with spools of thread became part of their routine at Lancaster and Cherryville Mfg. , respectively. Yet amidst this bleak backdrop emerges an undeniable resilience among these young workers. Despite their arduous circumstances and limited opportunities for education or playtime outside factory walls, they persevere through sheer determination and hope for better days ahead. As we gaze upon these snapshots frozen in time over a century ago, let us remember those who labored as doffers.