Women at Work: Historic Photos From the Museum of the City of New York

The first half of the 20th century was filled with changes for women in the United States, not the least of which was the right to vote, granted by a constitutional amendment in 1920.

The rise of manufacturing created factories and industries that provided new jobs for women, and the opportunity to gain financial independence and pursue jobs outside domestic confines.

The mobilization of troops in both of the World Wars opened up job prospects for women in fields formerly dominated by men. Women also served in record numbers in many roles in the United States military during World War II.

The Museum of the City of New York is committed to digitizing its photographic holdings and has put more than 52,000 historic images of the city online so far, with more to come in the near future. We celebrate Women's History Month with this selection of photographs, and observe the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, a seminal event in women's labor history.

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National Consumers' League, Finishing Pants.

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National Consumers' League, Finishing Pants, ca. 1900, Jacob A. Riis, from the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York.

The National Consumers League was founded in 1899 by social reformers Josephine Lowell and Jane Addams. The League organized women to use their power as consumers to compel better working conditions and protective law for women laborers.

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National Consumers' League, Finishing Pants, ca. 1900, Jacob A. Riis, from the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York.

The National Consumers League was founded in 1899 by social reformers Josephine Lowell and Jane Addams. The League organized women to use their power as consumers to compel better working conditions and protective law for women laborers.

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Comments

[cf01]

02:01 PM on 03/05/2011

With all the GOP outrage of "women working outside the home" and the Republican War On Women, they tend to forget that working-class women and women of color have *always* worked outside the home -- we HAD TO.

Here's an interesting perspective on "Rosie the Riveter"

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3NQZCC236UBNJ

[Pandechion]

09:19 AM on 03/04/2011

My great-aunt Jane was a WAVE. She looks so proud and joyful and free in every photo from that era-- and I see the same expression on the faces of the servicewomen in slide 13.

[Euranya]

09:20 AM on 03/03/2011

...Great photos. I had forgotten about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911. Anyone who argues we don't need unions needs to brush up on their labor history and be reminded ot the dangerous working conditions that led to the deaths of these women.

[Postum]

09:17 AM on 03/03/2011

Here is a treasure trove of stories. Many of them are not only valuable in themselves - shedding more light on the history of women in the earlier half of the 20th century - but also a reminder for us today about the continuing struggle for the rights of women and the rights of workers. Thank you.

[LMPE]

12:52 AM on 03/03/2011

New York never sleeps and never slept