The Empire State Building (Building America)

Thousands of construction workers, electricians, and other technicians risked their lives to ensure that the skyscraper rose to its now legendary height. Hine's genius lay in observing these men at work, and creating a photo-journalistic record of their daring and perserverence. Hine's photos also give us a surprising glimpse into blue collar America in the 1930's when jobs were scarce and morale was at rock bottom. The faces of the men swinging from cables, dangling from beams, and relaxing on the Empire State's unfinished steel peaks convey anything but despair.

The Photographer Lewis W. Hine (1874-1940) was a school teacher and self-taught photographer. His subjects included immigrants at Ellis Island, steel workers in Pittsburgh, child laborers in the United States, and the slums of New York City. He worked as a photographer for the Red Cross during World War I.

The Editor: Freddy Langer has been a photographer editor for a national daily newspaper since 1989. He has written several books including a monograph on the photo-journalist Ernst Haas.