"Hal Roach, a prominent producer, was central to discovering child actors, particularly for his "Our Gang" series, where he reportedly tested over 140,000 children. His studio, Hal Roach Studios, became a major hub for finding young performers."

I am sure there were others who brought kids to his attention for him, and those would be who I'd focus on. I'd never suspect him of running anything but a reputable outfit, but in those days you probably didn't need to go very far down the line to find individuals considered a little more greasy. Just a hunch of course. After nearly a century, it is difficult to find names of Hollywood talent scouts, especially those who were focused on finding talented children. Who exactly would have encouraged more risque photos to pass around to make a "buzz" for this or that child? An agent? A manager? Hard to imagine anyone even had these when trying to break into acting back in those days. Easy to imagine some desperate parents willing to allow far more leeway than others, especially at a time when legal worries were minimal and money was tight. I do wonder what sort of publicity photos exist somewhere in vaults or private collections from that time. I could totally see their value being on the level of very early baseball cards for, err, certain categories of conniseurs?

Probably just one of those many collectible categories of the kind that doesn't see the public light of day. Not even on those darkwebs. =oO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RD0S3JNa_Y