Walkabout: Speaking of Work

We spend a lot of time on Brownstoner talking about our jobs, other people’s jobs, unions, and work in general. The men, women and children of Brooklyn, who built our city and borough were often photographed at work, and from these archives we can see how work has changed in the last century.

The biggest change is in the rights of children. A hundred years ago, children were often expected to work, and in some homes were the only source of income.

The photographs of boys toiling as underpaid and overworked paperboys, the girls in factories and stores, or at home making piece goods are heartbreaking.

The role of women in society has changed as well, and women who had to work for a living were also pigeonholed into low paying, tedious jobs.

Immigrant women ended up as maids and household servants or factory workers, as did African American women. Native born white women usually could do better, as teachers, nurses and office workers, but were still barred by society, if not by law, from higher paying, more prestigious work.

A woman who chose a career over raising a family was seen as abnormal, and societal mores often worked to her detriment for her desire to be a professional, like a man.

It goes without saying that men also worked hard to build a life in Brooklyn. We see factory workers, truck drivers, construction crews as well as office clerks, post office workers and more professional trades.

Here’s a sampling of Brooklyn’s people, as always, hard at work, on Flickr.

[Photos via Brooklyn Public Library]