4 Children for Sale explained

4 Children for Sale is a photograph that depicts a mother, Lucille Chalifoux, hiding her head as her four children sit unwittingly beneath a sign that offers all of them for sale.^[1] The photo was first published by the Vidette-Messenger of Valparaiso, Indiana on August 5, 1948 and was circulated widely during the following week.^[2]

After the photo

While it has been speculated that the photo may have been staged, the story behind it was true. All of the children, including the child that Chalifoux was pregnant with at the time the photo was taken, were sold. One of the girls in the photo claimed that she was sold for $2 for bingo money,^[3] and others claimed to have been sold and chained to a barn to work as slave laborers on a farm.^[4]

Descendants of the children have sought to find their relatives.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Harvey . Austin . 2023-01-04 . The Heartbreaking True Story Behind The Infamous '4 Children For Sale' Photograph From 1948 . 2023-10-17 . All That's Interesting . en-US.
2. Web site: Ph.d . Dr Neil Gale . 2020-02-06 . The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal : The true story about the 1948 Chicago yard sign; "4 Children for Sale," and the consequences for some of these children. . 2023-10-17 . The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal.
3. Web site: 2013-07-14 . Finding peace in a life sold for $2 . 2023-10-17 . en-US.
4. Web site: OrangeBean . 2020-10-04 . Heartbreaking History of the "4 Children For Sale" Photo . 2023-10-17 . OrangeBean Indiana . en-US.
5. Web site: Pharris . Kelda J. L. . South Dakota man whose father was in '4 Children For Sale' photo pieces together his past . 2023-10-17 . The Public Opinion . en-US.