American Childhood

A photographic history

Of all the things America invented, the greatest might have been childhood.

The nation’s Child Labor Act of 1916 finally freed youngsters from toiling in factories or laboring in coal mines. The post-war prosperity of the ‘50s gave tweens and teens pocket money, social lives, and freedom. After years of being seen as simply smaller adults, by the mid-20th century children were finally fully themselves.

Those are among the insights in Todd Brewster’s “American Childhood: A Photographic History.”

It’s a sometimes lovely, often saddening saga of centuries of kids at play and work, skipping in the sunshine or struggling to survive. And it all began with Brewster’s massive treasure hunt.

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