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50 Rare Vintage Pictures Showing The Everyday Grit Of Working Class Americans Back In The Day
Interview With Expert
You could argue that the history of humankind is the history of work. In order to thrive, not just survive, people learned to specialize in a wide range of crafts. However, in this day and age, with so many folks working from behind a computer, you can sometimes forget that it’s still working-class people who form the backbone of society. It’s workers who keep civilization running. It’s they who keep the literal and proverbial lights on.
Our team at Bored Panda has painstakingly curated this list of the most impressive and powerful vintage photos of the American working class. Scroll down for a trip into the past and enjoy these old-timey pictures. The details in them are fascinating!
Bored Panda wanted to learn about how current industry trends such as the spread of automation and generative AI might affect the working and middle classes, so we reached out to marketing psychology expert Matt Johnson, PhD, the host of the Human Nature and Psychology of Marketing blogs. You'll find the insights he shared with us below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Icarus, Empire State Building, 1930
Tucker Cahooter 5 months ago
Let's assume for our own sanity that, just like the clock scene in Harold Lloyd's film "Safety Last", if he did lose his grip he would only fall a few feet onto a nice soft mattress rather than plummeting several hundred feet to his messy death
Jrog 5 months ago
This is how most of the famous promotional photos for the Empire State Building were shot, including the "lunch atop the skyscraper". Just out of the frame there was a finished deck. Falling would hurt, but it would be a 3 meters fall, not 300.
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Hippopotamuses 5 months ago (edited)
Hmm. Very familiar. I remember commenting on this pic last month.
Mike F 5 months ago
That's odd, I'm here every day and I don't remember having seen this pic.
Load More Replies..."As automation and AI tools become more widespread, they’re likely to reshape jobs across the working and middle classes. This will mean some roles will be re-imagined, while others will be replaced entirely. Routine, repetitive tasks are most vulnerable, which disproportionately affects roles in logistics, retail, and even clerical white-collar work," Johnson explained to Bored Panda in an email.
"But the impact isn’t purely economic—it’s also psychological. As job identities shift or erode, so too can people’s sense of status and stability. It's tied to a sense of personal value and identity. The decline in middle-class identification reflects not just financial strain, but a deeper uncertainty about the future of work. Without intentional policy, reskilling, and investment in human-centered roles, these technologies could widen perceived class divides and undercut social cohesion," he said.
"At the same time, there’s a growing recognition of the resilience and value of blue-collar trade jobs (e.g. plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, HVAC) that cannot be easily outsourced or automated," Johnson told us.
RELATED:
#2
Boy Carrying Hats. Bleecker St., New York, 1912
#3
Midnight At The Bowery Mission Bread Line, 1906-7
TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
Apparently, the Mission still exists. https://www.bowery.org/timeline/#section-1870s
I'm.Just.A.Girl 5 months ago (edited)
I don't know what homeless people looked like back then, there definitely is some noticeable differences between today's hungry and the hungry back then. And I was homeless for 10+ years. (7 years in recovery in August).
"As generative AI increasingly disrupts white-collar professions, these skilled trades may not only prove more secure but may also rise in status. In a world of artificial intelligence, hands-on human expertise could become one of the most enduring competitive advantages."
Bored Panda also asked Johnson for his thoughts on how blue-collar Americans can create a personal brand and stay competitive. "For blue-collar Americans, building a personal brand starts with owning your story: what sets you apart, what values you bring to the work, and how you serve your customers. In today’s digital world, visibility matters. Even a basic online presence (e.g. Google reviews, social media, or a simple website) can build credibility and trust," he advised.
"Consistency, reliability, and craftsmanship are powerful brand assets, especially in trades where word-of-mouth still reigns. Sharing before-and-after photos, highlighting testimonials, or even short videos explaining your process can humanize your work and differentiate you. A strong personal brand doesn’t require flash, but it does require clarity, consistency, and a willingness to be seen."
#4
The Kitchen At Delmonico's, New York, 1902
Jrog 5 months ago
Delmonico's is the oldest NY high-end restaurants and steakhouse, in the Financial district, opened in 1827. They claim, the rather recklessly, to have invented the Egg Benedict (that were actually invented at the Waldorf Astoria), the Lobster Newburg (that is just a renaming of the French Thermidor), the strip steak (long predating the restaurant) and the Baked Alaska (that existed for over one century with the name "Norwegge Omelete"). They were involved in a nasty legal dispute over the name and copyright, and were closed for a few years until a recent reopening. They opened other branches, some of whom were apparently involved in serious health code violations.
I'm.Just.A.Girl 5 months ago
Oh some scandalous tea in the restaurant world 😈 lol it is interesting though.
Load More Replies... #5
Laying Of The Cornerstone Of The Library Of Congress, Washington, D.C., 1890
Gerry Higgins 5 months ago
He already has. He's fired librarians at the Library of Congress and his bill defunds libraries nationwide.
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TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
25 years after the end of the Civil War, the majority of the men in that picture were either formerly enslaved or the children of formerly enslaved people. These men were likely paid a very low wage for hard and dangerous work using non-motorized and non-electric tools. Every time you see one of these beautiful buildings, think about all of the labor and skill that went into constructing them.
Bryn 5 months ago
No we didn't. The electoral college did and there are a good number of americans who hate him
Load More Replies... #6
Workers In The Postage Stamp Gumming And Drying Room In The Stamp Division At The Bureau Of Engraving & Printing, 1895
Broadly speaking, working-class people earn their living via wage labor and are most often found in blue-collar positions and service-oriented professions. Just a few examples of blue-collar workers include the following professionals:
- Construction workers;
- Contractors;
- Welders;
- Mechanics;
- Plumbers;
- Truck drivers;
- Technicians;
- Boilermakers;
- Firefighters;
- Police officers;
- Postal workers;
- Power plant operators.
Meanwhile, other working-class jobs include clerical work, food industry positions, retail sales, manual labor vocations, and low-level white-collar workers, according to Investopedia.
#7
Worker Repairing Telegraph Line, 1862 Or 1863
TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
An early lineman. Telegraph lines ran on electricity, so this was a dangerous job.
#8
Garment Factory,1900s
MK-C PHD 5 months ago
They enjoyed living indoors and eating. That was a good job for women of the day who had little education and needed the income. Remember what alternatives were available to women then. It was respectable and clean. Some (not all) would have been able to keep working after marriage until pregnancy forced them out (a practice that lasted well into the 1970s!) so all in all this was a happy(ier) place.
HardBoiledBlonde 5 months ago
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was in 1911. The exit doors were locked to "prevent theft" and 146 workers died all women and girls. Sweatshops were not and are not happy places.
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Hippopotamuses 5 months ago (edited)
The ultimate in sweat shops! I guess they were told to look happy, or else....
Jrog 5 months ago (edited)
For the time, it was not even a bad arrangement. Manual work but not physically taxing, in an ample and clean environment. They were likely running on the 8-hour-6 days per week, that started being common in US factories in 1900-1920, or at worst the 10-hour day. Other businesses such as mining or male-dominated manufacturing businesses were not uncommon to work 12 hours per day and in some cases (such as construction tradesmen) over 14 hours per day, 7 days per week.
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#9
Potatoes Move Down A Conveyor Belt Before Being Made Into Potato Flakes, Between 1892 - 1952
Working-class jobs generally pay less than $15/hour, and many don’t actually include health benefits. There are far fewer factory and industrial workers these days, as the nature of work has been shifting over time and these positions have been on the decline in the United States for decades.
Typically, working-class people work outside of offices and do manual labor. Many working-class individuals may not have a college degree. Some live paycheck-to-paycheck and have little savings.
However, as Investopedia points out, some working-class jobs are very stable and pay reasonably well. For instance, if you’re a nuclear power plant operator or boilermaker, you can earn as much as many folks doing middle-class jobs.
#10
Worker Prepares Gum For Postage Stamps In The Stamp Division At The Bureau Of Engraving & Printing, 1895
#11
Men And Women Working Inside Of An Orange Packing House, Probably Covina, California, 1900
Huddo's sister 5 months ago
One of the main things my family used to grow was citrus. Carting-fr...0-jpeg.jpg 
Bored Sailor 5 months ago
"Probably Covina, California" I guess the poster can type the title but not read the boxes.
TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
That's the description on the original archive post. They are assuming Covina due to the packaging. Perhaps the administrative offices are located in Covina and the brand name is Covina, but the orchards or packing house may be located outside Covina. It's a qualifier meaning they don't know this photo was 100% taken in Covina.
Load More Replies... #12
Standard Oil Strikers Throwing Bricks At Bayonne Police, 1915
Jrog 5 months ago (edited)
Workers demanded a small pay rise, the 8-hours day (6 days a week), and basic safety conditions. John D. Rockefeller was notorious for his hard line against labor demands, so Standard oil denied the request. 1200 workers walked out and camped in front of the gates. Standard Oil called in 250 strikebreakers and an undisclosed number of undercover "agent provocateurs" to infiltrate the protest; then they called their attorney Pierre Garvey, who was also a republican politician as well as the town major. Garvey sent in the police to disrupt the protest through violent means. Police shot and killed a worker. Workers rioted and tried to set fire to a refinery building. Police killed five more workers, and the protesters rioted throwing stones to the police (in the photo). Ultimately the company accepted some scaled down demands, but later reneged leading to a second strike in 1916 that ended up with two dozen dead workers and significant concessions on pay raise, working conditions & safety
Michael None 5 months ago
You forgot to mention that it wasn't until 1935 that workers earned the legal right to bargain without fear of retaliation. A right that is once again under threat.
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Based on a 2022 Gallup poll, just over a third (35%) of respondents said that they are members of the working class.
This is compared to 38% of Americans who see themselves as middle class and 14% who believe they are upper-middle class.
11% of American adults said that they are lower class, and just 2% identified as upper class.
#13
Sweatshop Of Mr. Goldstein, 30 Suffolk St., New York, 1908
TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
The women are huddled around a window. This is likely their main light source. This room likely did not have electric lighting installed, yet, so they would use natural light and perhaps gas lighting during the early or later hours. 30 Suffolk St. is gone now. Currently, a large building stands at 28 Suffolk St., housing the Chinese American Planning Council.
Susan Reid Smith 5 months ago
They're working hard at a very low paying job, likely being paid by the piece rather than by the hour.
Load More Replies... #14
Coal Passers Talk Strike, 1911
Tom Hutcherson 5 months ago (edited)
I was on strike twice, once at AT&T Information Systems, and and Mtn. Bell. (It was the '80s. EVERYTHING was information systems. And against Safeway with the ufcw, 2000-2002. In the '80s, we got everything we wanted in the contract. Everything. In 2000, we'd get maybe half of our demands. Trickle down economics at it's finest.
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TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
"Coal Passers A new rating was established to accommodate the ranks of men assigned the rugged task of shoveling coal on board ship: the coal passer. Sailor Frederick Wilson, a former coal passer, commented on their lot in life in his diary: that most humble, but necessary, evil, the lowest rating in the service, an object that isn't supposed to be human at all, but has to delve wherever dirt and grime is thickest, in back connection, in bilge, in mucky feed tank, in boiler, and in [coal] bunker. Poor coal passer! Cursed and damned by all parts of the ship, whose very foot prints are watched as he crosses spotless deck[s], who is blamed for every spot of dirt on deck and paint work as a matter of course. He is even looked askance by landsmen and marine, poor non-combatant that he is. Like many others of humble rating, his necessity and worth goes unrecognized." http://www.steelnavy.org/history/exhibits/show/steelnavy/hardlife/coal
#15
Self-Master Colony - Rug Making, 1910
TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
The Self Master Colony also known as Floyd's Self Master Village was a residence for men in need of help that existed from 1908-1938. It was an experiment in housing the homeless in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Master_Colony
Gallup states that these days, fewer Americans identify themselves with the middle and upper-middle classes than they did before the Great Recession hit in late 2007/early 2008.
Since the recession, more Americans have identified themselves with the working or lower class.
#16
Linotype Operators In The Erikson Building, Seattle, Washington, 1906
Bill Swallow 5 months ago (edited)
Considering Linotypes worked using hot molten lead, not the healthiest idea to run one in an enclosed unventilated space. Yet they were the indispensible flip side, with the movable type printing press, in spreading news, literacy, and literature on a truly massive scale, and were a much-overlooked major force in shaping today's world. We've moved beyond them, which is a good thing in many ways, but we owe Mr. Merganthaler quite a debt. Here's the whole story - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDM-EbDCiQg EDIT: System Source Museum near Baltimore has one on display. In Twilight Zone's episode "Printer's Devil", you can see Burgess Meredith run one.
Ray Heap 5 months ago
Classical trained typesetter here. They would drink milk the whole day as it was supposed to bind the fumes from the molten lead.
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#17
Construction Of Great Northern Railroad Tunnel Beneath Downtown Seattle, 1903
#18
Workers Bottling Olive Oil, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, 1900
Tom Hutcherson 5 months ago
https://youtu.be/KLODGhEyLvk?si=Jc2tDyf5klg6xg2H
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“In general, social class identification is strongly related to educational attainment and household income.
Upper-income Americans and college graduates (including those with postgraduate education) are most likely to say they belong to the middle or upper-middle class, while lower-income Americans and those with no formal education beyond high school generally identify as working or lower class,” Gallup states.
#19
Miss Eliza Combs, Typical Old Maid Worker, Massachusetts, 1895
Catherine Graves 5 months ago
Don't forget how much definitions change. The term "old maid" is rarely heard now. My mother was called an old maid in the early 50s, because she was still unmarried at 25 years old. That is a big change in societal standards in only 2 generations.
Bryn 5 months ago
Not necessarily. Could be her husband is also working. Could be working because her husband died
Load More Replies... Vicki Thompson 5 months ago
So what did they call men who never married? Probably a stud. Glad those days are pretty much behind us.
Kabuki Kitsune 5 months ago
Old Maid. In this period, women who were unmarried were called either "Old Maids", or "Spinsters". Given the male dominated world at the time, it was difficult for them to survive, so they often did menial tasks, or worked in sweat shops. Note: Sweat Shops, weren't always bad places to work. Some were actually rather decent work with decent pay. They get the name "sweatshop" because there were a lot of workers, and the buildings didn't have good airflow... so, women and men working in them, were covered in sweat. It didn't help that people wore four or five layers of clothing even in the summer.
Load More Replies... #20
Five Workmen Standing Around The Rotary Drill System In Action, Brayer Field, 1910
martymcmatrix 5 months ago
Yeah, it's probably the (only) one wearing a tie...👔
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TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
Just a little reading from the link page: this photo was developed from a glass negative.
#21
A Room In A Garment Factory With Men And A Woman, Standing At High Tables, Making Patterns, 1900s
Bill Swallow 5 months ago
With that dressmaker's dummy there on the right?
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As per Statista, in March 2025, there were 23.1 million people in the US working in the healthcare and social assistance industry, nearly 22.6 million employed in professional and business services, and just shy of 17 million in the leisure and hospitality industry.
Meanwhile, 15.6 million work in retail trade, 15.1 million are in local government, and nearly 12.8 million are in manufacturing.
#22
Toledo Terminal Maumee River Bridge Workers, Toledo, Ohio, Around 1902
#23
Workers Weighing And Sacking Sugar At The Pacific Sugar Company, Visalia, Tulare County, California, 1900
Kabuki Kitsune 5 months ago
See the dust in the sunlight? If you want to shudder, look up "Sugar dust explosion" on google, and you'll feel real sorry for these fellows.
TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
Building History US Senate Documents of 1906 said this of the Pacific Sugar Company Beet-Sugar Factory being built in 1905: "A company known as the Los Angeles Sugar Company for some time exploited conditions in the Antelope Valley with a view to establishing one or more sugar factories. This company changed its name to the Pacific Sugar Company, contracted for 3,000 acres of beets, and is constructing a plant at Visalia with 350 tons' dailey capacity. A part of the machinery composing the equipment of this plant comes from St. Louis Park, Minn. The company owns a site of 40 acres near the town, which is reached by the Southern Pacific Railroad. The 1st day of January, 1905, the factory was about half completed and 90 per cent of the machinery on the ground. The plant will be in readiness for the campaign which begins about August, 1906." https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/25260/
Michael None 5 months ago
Bartholomew was always more fond of savory foods but "a jobs a job" he would say.
#24
Cedar River Pipeline Riveting Gang, Laying Pipe To Bring Water To Seattle, Washington, 1899
Moving on to construction, the industry employed 8.3 million Americans in March 2025. The transportation and warehousing industry had nearly 6.8 million workers, finance and insurance employed over 6.7 million, and wholesale trade had nearly 6.2 million employees.
#25
Railroad Construction Worker Straightening Track, Pile Of Twisted Rails In Background, 1862 Or 1863
Brian Droste 5 months ago
Just think the muscles you would have built up doing this.
Load More Replies... Kabuki Kitsune 5 months ago
Yep. which makes this more likely as being after the war has ended, as opposed to during it.
Load More Replies... M O'Connell 5 months ago
The photo comes from the US military railway department. Given the context of the US civil war, I would guess the rails came from a bridge or trestle which was destroyed.
Load More Replies... Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
They did. It's war damage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman%27s_neckties
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#26
Seattle's Water Pipeline Worker, 1926
ƒιѕн 5 months ago
Love those old wooden pipes. Lot of work getting everything bolted together.
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
Wooden pipes? Oh boy - it wasn't until I read your comment that I noticed. 1926! We had wooden water supply pipes here in the UK back in the 18th century, but as far as I know they'd all been replaced with cast iron long before the 20th century began. Then there was the Stone Pipe Company scandal which afflicted Manchester... https://uwlhs.uk/prj_spc.html
Load More Replies... TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
My little town still had hollowed-out logs for pipes the original sections until just recently.
Kabuki Kitsune 5 months ago
At the time, you'd have one inspector every ten miles of pipe.
Load More Replies... #27
U.S. Postal Employees Sorting Mail, 1890
Vicki Thompson 5 months ago (edited)
My dad done that in the early sixties. He said that sometimes there would be shipments of live ducklings and baby alligators come in at the same time and one worker would always tease the alligators with the ducks.Dad hated that !Glad that doesn't happen anymore !No ducklings were harmed but it was a mean cruel thing to do.Dad stood for hours sorting mail, and he ended up having varicose vein surgery because of having to stand for so long. Good sized post office in good sized town.
In the meantime, state governments employed 5.5 million people, private educational services had 4 million workers, and the federal government boasted 3 million employees.
Nearly 3 million Americans work in the information industry, 2.5 million are in the real estate, rental, and leasing business, 600k are in mining and logging, and nearly the same number of workers are in the utilities industry.
#28
Workers Packing Chipped Beef, 1910
#29
Garment Workers, Union Sq., Striking, Between 1915 And 1920
Tom Hutcherson 4 months ago
That's one we'll probably never hear the likes of again.
Load More Replies... #30
Workers Doing Laundry At The Bureau Of Engraving & Printing, 1895
Kabuki Kitsune 5 months ago
This was the first step in printing currency. The "paper" currency... isn't made out of paper. It's cloth. This 'laundry' was taking rags and scrap fabric and washing it to clean it, before it would be shredded, mixed in large pots with some other fabrics, and then made into sheets which were used to print the bills on.
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago (edited)
Kabuki Kitsune: it really is made out of paper. Paper made from rags was once the usual type of paper in Europe.; modern industrially produced wood pulp paper is also paper but typically lower quality (in part down to shorter fibre length and acid content - the latter leading to the paper yellowing and turning brittle in time; both problems can be mitigated - at a price). More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper#Early_sources_of_fibre and here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_paper
Load More Replies... Kabuki Kitsune 5 months ago
Yep. It's the first stage of the process, washing the fabric to make certain it was clean and free of dyes or oils, before it was further processed into rag paper.
Load More Replies... Brian Droste 5 months ago
So are they laundering money then? I am surprised someone already didn't make this comment.
We’d like to hear what you think, dear Pandas. Which of these photos impressed you the most and why? Which pictures do you feel truly embody the spirit of working-class America? What period of history are you the most interested in?
Feel free to share your opinions in the comments at the bottom of this post. Oh, and if you haven’t already, upvote your favorite pics.
#31
Workers In An Olive Grove, Los Angeles, 1900
Barbara Wilcock 5 months ago
Ok. Never had olive oil from America. Interested what it tastes like
John Lange 5 months ago
Barbara, it's my understanding that most olives grown in the USA are table olives and not used for oil production. 🙂
Load More Replies... #32
Workers At The Knoxville Knitting Works In Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, 1910
Geoffrey Scott 5 months ago
The line of very young girls (center). Apparently, I've recently read, Fla wants to bring this back.
Motherofguineapigz 5 months ago
Arkansas already lowered the age from 16 to 14.
Load More Replies... Michael Starace 5 months ago
Iowa, Indiana, Florida, Arkansas, Missouri, and Minnesota have passed laws weakening child labor laws. Shame.
MK-C PHD 5 months ago
Mills routinely employed children who were small enough to get under the looms and remove snags, oil machines and other jobs that required small fingers and bodies. Families often had multiple members, adults and children, employed at one mill. It was dangerous work, paid little but was preferred over other lines of work.
TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
I hope English is your 2nd language and you meant that differently.
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#33
Ring Facing, Between 1915 And 1920
Hippopotamuses 5 months ago
What is ring facing? I searched the term, but all the results referred to the position of the ring on the finger.
ƒιѕн 5 months ago
WWI Munitions factory. https://historyinphotos.blogspot.com/2017/02/munitions-factory.html
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#34
Workers Wetting Sheets Prior To Printing Paper Money At The Bureau Of Engraving & Printing, 1895
Kabuki Kitsune 5 months ago
It's not paper. It's fabric. It's a rather closely protected mix or blend, but it's made out of cotton, linen, and a few other fabrics.
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago (edited)
Yes, it's paper. Paper can be made out of many different plant fibres. Recycled cloth used to be the conventional source of fibre for paper making in Europe. The original Chinese paper also used cloth fibres. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_paper#Paper_in_China
Load More Replies... #35
Washington, D.C. Group Of Sanitary Commission Workers At The Entrance Of The Home Lodge, 1863
David 5 months ago
The Sanitary Commission held 2 jobs during the civil war. 1) To make sure Army camps met sanitary standards (like outhouses a certain distance from living areas, no vermin in camp kitchens, etc). And 2) Make sure the Contraband Camps (nickname for the camps that the army build for run-away slaves and their families bc before the emancipation proclamation, the legal grounds the US Army used was that the law allowed them confiscate "contraband for the war effort" so they would confiscate the run-aways as "war materials", and then free them right away. Made it all legal in the courts at the time) met sanitary standards for health and safety
#36
US Assay Office, Showing Workers In Lab, Seattle, 1905
Kabuki Kitsune 5 months ago
Gold and Silver assay... though they would also assay for other metals. Basically, they take samples of ore from mines, process it, and then use some rather complex math to figure out how much precious metals is present in various ores, and whether or not a mine was going to be profitable, or not. Some other metals they looked for were lead, copper, iron, and even mercury at some assay offices.
#37
Railroad Construction Workers Holding Track, 1862 Or 1863
Kabuki Kitsune 5 months ago
Black work gang, and no photo of a white foreman would put this after the civil war. More likely sometime in the 1890's, into the early 1900's.
TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
Try again. The workers are black. Very few black people arrived in the US as immigrants prior to and during the time period of this photo. Clicking on the link shows the photographer was part of the US Army, so these men were freemen. However, they are almost guaranteed to either have been slaves who escaped North, or they were the descendants of slaves. It's important to know history so that the context of events are not skewed and accepted as fact.
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#38
Keel Of New York, 1911
#41
Placer Mines, Worker Steaming Water To Assist With Mining Operations, Early 1900s
#42
"Making Pittsburgh Stogies," 1907-1908
#43
Construction Of Lower Level Of The State, War & Navy Dept., Close-Up View Of Workers In And Above Pit, 1884
TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
19 years post-Civil War. It was the hard work (for little pay) of these men who built these government buildings.
#44
Workers Moving Newly Printed Currency Into A Drying Box Where Sheets Will Dry Before The Next Wetting And Printing At The Bureau Of Engraving & Printing, 1890
#45
Workers Taking Mucilaged Sheets Of Postage Stamps From The Drying Box In The Gumming And Drying Room Of The Stamp Division At The Bureau Of Engraving & Printing, 1895
TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
I had to look that word up. "mucilage - a viscous secretion or bodily fluid. a polysaccharide substance extracted as a viscous or gelatinous solution from plant roots, seeds, etc., and used in medicines and adhesives. North American: an adhesive solution; gum or glue. From Latin "mucus."
#47
Interior View Of Northville Hatchery, Clark Boxes In Foreground, 1897
#48
Workers With A Mill Jitney Hauling Lumber, Bordeaux Lumber Company, 1919
TiNaBoNiNa 5 months ago
Thomas Bordeaux ran a logging & milling operation in Thurston County, WA, which is where Olympia is. You can see his house here: https://www.millionairesrow.net/80614thE.html#:~:text=Having%20mediocre%20luck%20with%20mining,in%20the%20Lumber%20Mercantile%20Company.
#49
Girl Driver On A Motor Mail Truck, Between 1893 - 1945
Hippopotamuses 5 months ago (edited)
Reverse image search reveals that this was taken in England between 1914 - 1918 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205288472
Kabuki Kitsune 5 months ago
WW1. Sadly, the women who entered the workforce during WW1 have been grossly overshadowed by the women who did the same during WW2. You'd be surprised how many people don't realize that WW2 wasn't the first time that happened.
Load More Replies... MK-C PHD 5 months ago
During WWI women were first called on to do “men’s work” to keep things going.
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
Some women have been doing so-called "men's work" since prehistory. 🤨 For example: how do you think the farms belonging to Vikings carried on working when the men were off raiding?
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#50
Toledo Computing Scale Company, Toledo, Ohio, 1905
Grace Sssssss 5 months ago
Those were everywhere when I was young! The pharmacy, the supermarket checkout...
#51
Report Of The Commission Of 1906 To Investigate The Condition Of The Blind In The State Of New York, 1907
M O'Connell 5 months ago
If anybody wants to page through that report, its 700 pages. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044096987557&seq=7
#52
Workers In A 100-Stamp Mill, California, 1900
Susan Reid Smith 5 months ago
Rock is being pulverized so gold can be extracted. That was hard deafening work.
Kabuki Kitsune 5 months ago (edited)
1910 would be more mercury being used than cyanide. Cyanide didn't really become popular in gold processing until around 1920. Some operations were using it in 1910, sure, but it wasn't common.
Load More Replies... #53
Interior Of Packing House, Probably Covina, California, 1900
Brittania Kelli 5 months ago
Imagine doing such physical labour while wearing all the layers of clothing they had to wear back then? Bloomers, petticoats, corsets or other boned shapewear, tight belt and all buttoned up to your chin and stockings down to your toes. How did they not faint constantly?
Bryn 5 months ago
Because, believe it or not, Cotton is cooler than our synthetic fabrics of today. There's a great historian who also does a lot of wearing of historical pieces and she got asked this on tiktok and explains it well. It was hot but having pure cotton clothing helps a great deal.
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#54
A Group Of Sweatshop Workers, New York, 1908
Bill Swallow 5 months ago
And over 100 years later, they're still waiting for that acceptance.
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Railroad Construction Workers Straightening Track, 1862 Or 1863
Kabuki Kitsune 5 months ago
Post war, somewhere in the south. During reconstruction, where rails that were pulled up and destroyed by Union forces, need to be straightened.
Michael None 5 months ago
They should have burned down every building in the south and erased every trace of the confederacy. Maybe then we wouldn't have to keep tearing down statues of loser generals.
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Add New Image
What do you think ?
Hippopotamuses 5 months ago (edited)
Viktorija. You really need to pay more attention to your posts. Lack of information; one - very obvious - mistake, and one picture which was posted a couple of weeks ago. Lazy, lazy. lazy!
ƒιѕн 5 months ago (edited)
Agreed, I had to dig into every pic just trying to find info about it. Not sure why your were downvoted.
Load More Replies... Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
Interesting. Thank you. Pay no attention to the small-minded critics.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 5 months ago
Is this meant to be a threat? Or an exercise in shaming people for speaking up about bad conditions?
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
If you're referring to olaff 422's comment: to my mind, it's just a meaningless word salad.
Load More Replies... Hippopotamuses 5 months ago (edited)
Viktorija. You really need to pay more attention to your posts. Lack of information; one - very obvious - mistake, and one picture which was posted a couple of weeks ago. Lazy, lazy. lazy!
ƒιѕн 5 months ago (edited)
Agreed, I had to dig into every pic just trying to find info about it. Not sure why your were downvoted.
Load More Replies... Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
Interesting. Thank you. Pay no attention to the small-minded critics.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 5 months ago
Is this meant to be a threat? Or an exercise in shaming people for speaking up about bad conditions?
Forrest Hobbs 5 months ago
If you're referring to olaff 422's comment: to my mind, it's just a meaningless word salad.
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