In 1920, Hine re-invented himself from the category of "social" photographer to an "interpretive" one, a reorientation that Naomi Rosenblum observes: suggests a greater awareness of the expressive aspects of photography. ... For the work portraits, as he called his new project, Hine sought out craftsmen and workers who exemplified the skill necessary to run an advanced technological society. Their compositions sometimes appear studied and deliberate... . Hine was forced to grapple with the aesthetics of a heroicizing vision at a period when few artists were concerned with underscoring the relation of man to machine. Although he had de-emphasized the investigative role of his own photography, Hine still believed that photographic art had a social objective. He believed that it could be used to offset some misconceptions about industry... . "Our material assets, fabrics, photographs, motors, airplanes... don't just happen as the product of impersonal machines, under the direction perhaps of a few human robots... Many are just plain ignorant of the sweat and service that go into all these products of the machine." (Photography: Venice 1979, p. 10)

Fewer than 10 prints exist in this large size.