In the early 1800s, daily newspapers were unaffordable for the average American.

 In the early 1800s, daily newspapers were unaffordable for the average American.

At five cents apiece, they were simply too expensive for someone who only brought home one dollar per day. But in the 1840s, the invention of the rotary press allowed publishers to print "penny papers," creating greater demand for their product. With this increased demand came the need for workers to sell these newspapers — and children were perfect for the job. Boys as young as five or six, many of whom were impoverished or even homeless, began purchasing bundles of papers to sell on the streets in order to make a living for themselves or support their struggling families.

In 1872, one journalist wrote: "There are 10,000 children living on the streets of New York... They rend the air and deafen you with their shrill cries. They surround you on the sidewalk and almost force you to buy their papers. They are ragged and dirty. They have no coats, no shoes, and no hat." But as child labor laws were introduced in the 1900s, the role of these young newsboys became obsolete and they became a thing of the past.