IDing a shotgun in an old photo

C

ckpj99

New member
I can across this old photo in the archive of Lewis Hine, and I thought one of you might be able to ID the gun in it, and if not, you might be interested in seeing it.

Lewis Hine traveled around the country during the late 1800s and early 1900s photographing in factories, on city streets and other places in an effort to raise awareness and eventually stop child labor. He and others in the movement were obviously successful. (I work as photojournalist, so that's why I've studied all this).

Unlike some photographers doing similar things at the time like Jacob Riis, Hine had what many consider to be an advanced sense of the art of photography as well as all the cunning skills need to get into factories and other places. Many of his photos are not just compelling for their content, they are compelling because Hine shot them well.

I was going through his work and I came across a photo called "The Bunny Hunter."

The notes that go along with Hine's photos are usually scarce. In this case, he wrote, "December 1908. Dillon, South Carolina. Charley Baxley. Has doffed 4 years at Dillon Mills. Gets 50 cents a day. Had been out hunting."

Accounting for inflation, seems like the kid was getting about $12 a day in today's money.

Any idea what the gun in the photo is? I bet this kid was crack shot after four years of hunting rabbits every day.
 

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It's probably a hardware store/catalog store name branded gun.

Vast numbers of inexpensive single and double barrel shotguns were made by big companies like Crescent Arms from the 1870's to WWII.
They made guns under a huge bewildering variety of names, and made contract guns for companies like Sears and Wards.
If you were willing to pay for a marking die they would stamp guns for hardware stores with their own name on them.
There were so many names and so many companies I doubt anyone knows all the names that companies like Crescent used for American and imported guns.

Quality could range from very excellent rather expensive, to bare basic "farmer's guns" of low quality.
In short, even if you could find out the name of the gun in the picture it might well not do you any good since it would probably be one of these basic "No name" guns.
 
Any idea what the gun in the photo is? I bet this kid was crack shot after four years of hunting rabbits every day.
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Not sure about the gun, but doffing is a process used in cotton mills. I think he was hunting for food, not work. But I agree that he was probably a crack shot....or hungry most of the time.
 
Charley might have been hunting for the family table, but he might also have been commercial hunting to bring in extra money, a common occupation of small boys in a time with abundant game, no hunting licenses, and low incomes. (And no qualms about eating the "dear little bunnies.")

The famous Annie Oakley (b. 1860) was earlier, and a girl, but began using a gun to hunt rabbits for sale to the restaurants and hotels in her Ohio home town.

Jim
 
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