Child Labor links together two scenes of children at work, one group toiling in a textile mill amidst looms and needles and the other group gathering crops and planting seedlings. Their hunched forms, gaunt faces, and thin arms serve to condemn the exploitative practices of employers, who could pay less and demand longer hours from children helping to support their families. The 1930 census listed more than 700,000 workers under the age of 15. To limit exploitation and make space for adult workers, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 set nation-wide limitations on child labor for the for the first time, though child farm workers were excluded until 1966. In linking industrial labor and agricultural labor, Ida Y. Abelman reflected the sweeping reform sought by the American branch of the Communist Party, which also prioritized the needs of Black tenant farmers.