Employment Collection (#98)

Uncertain future, conceptual image

ALABAMA: BANANAS, c1937. Workers loading bananas onto a railroad freight car in Mobile, Alabama. Photographed by Arthur Rothstein, c1937

Employment of Women
A satirical look at the employment of women in the civil service. A bespectacled gentleman returns to the office and is horrified to find the ladies of his employ making pyramids of books

Dormitory blocks, Salvation Army Colony, Hadleigh, Essex
Dormitory blocks at the Salvation Armys labour colony at Hadleigh in Essex. Founded in 1891 as a farming colony, the centre is still in existence today as a Salvation Army employment training centre

Workers riveting a girder at a Sunderland shipyard
Workers riveting the centre girder of a turret vessel at Messrs Droxford & Sons, a shipyard in Sunderland

Print room at Lloyds Weekly Newspaper, London
Printing presses operated by workmen churn out copies of Lloyds Weekly Newspaper, one of the first mass market newspapers, with copies then bundled for despatch on a trolley

French Cream room at a sweet factory, London
Women handle large wooden trays in the French Cream room at the sweet manufacturers Clarke, Nickolls and Coombs, at Hackney Wick, London. The firm made Clarincos chocolates

Navvies building a new railway line, UK
Navvies building a new railway line at an unidentified location in the UK. A station building can be seen in the top right

Furniture workshop, Barnstaple, Devon
Men at work assembling wooden sections in the furniture workshop of Messrs Shapland and Petter, Barnstaple, Devon

Matchmakers filling frames with wax strands
Women working at a matchmaking factory fill frames with wax strands

Filling, weighing and packing tea, Bankside, London
Workers filling, weighing and packing chests of tea at Messrs Travers Wharf, Bankside, London. Date: circa 1902

Plate rolling machine and workers at a Sunderland shipyard
A team of men feed a sheet of metal through a rolling machine at Messrs Droxford & Sons, a shipyard in Sunderland

Hand-operated loom for Axminster carpets, Glasgow
A team of five men operate the large hand loom for Axminster carpets at the factory of Messrs Templeton, Glasgow, Scotland

Liquorice room at a sweet factory, London
Women at work in the Liquorice room at the sweet manufacturers Clarke, Nickolls and Coombs, at Hackney Wick, London. The firm also made Clarincos chocolates

Industrial lacemaking machine, Nottingham
An industrial lacemaking machine at Messrs Pratt, Hurst & Co Ltd, Nottingham, with two men at work

Tea merchants cutting and mixing machine, London
Workers with a tea merchants cutting and mixing machine at Messrs Travers Wharf, Bankside, London

New army recruits, St Georges Barraacks, London
A batch of new army recruits arrive at St Georges Barracks, London. Three uniformed men are there to process them

Female wool weaving operators, Yorkshire
Female wool weaving operators tend their machines at a Yorkshire factory

Two Post Office workers waiting for the mail train at a lineside mailbag collection and drop-off point. In the background are railway lines, signals, and a goods train

Ds James, railway guard, Pembrokeshire, South Wales
A photographers studio portrait of Ds James Esq, a railway guard on the Newport, Pembroke and Fishguard Railway, standing proudly in his uniform. His address is given as 6 High Street, Pembroke

Two quarrymen, Penyrorsedd Slate Quarry, North Wales
Two quarrymen, one young, one older, at Penyrorsedd Slate Quarry, Nantlle Valley, Caernarvonshire (now Gwynedd), North Wales

Sales assistants outside a dress shop
A group of well-presented young women - presumably sales assistants - stand in front of the windows of a dressmakers and outfitters shop

Paper sorting, Salvation Army Elevator
Men sorting paper at one of the Salvation Army Elevators. The Elevators provided the destitute with both short-term work and hostel-style accommodation

Labour yard, Bethnal Green Employment Association
A labour yard operated in the late 1860s by the Bethnal Green Employment Association in East London to provide work for the unemployed

Agnes Jones, workhouse nursing pioneer
Agnes Elizabeth Jones (1832-1868) was trained at Florence Nightingales nursing school at St Thomas Hospital in London. In 1865 she was appointed to superintend an experimental nursing scheme at

Printing Office at Barnardos Home, Stepney Causeway
Printing office at Barnardos Home, Stepney Causeway, East London. In 1870, Thomas Barnardo set up a home for destitute boys at 18-26 Stepney Causeway

Brushmakers Shop at Barnardos Home, Stepney Causeway
Brushmakers shop at Barnardos Home, Stepney Causeway, East London. In 1870, Thomas Barnardo set up a home for destitute boys at 18-26 Stepney Causeway

Dr Thomas John Barnardo
Portrait of Dr Thomas John Barnardo (1845-1905). In 1867, Barnardo set up a Ragged School for poor children in Londons East End, followed in 1870 by a home for boys at 18-26 Stepney Causeway

Blacksmiths Shop at Barnardos Home, Stepney Causeway
Blacksmiths shop at Barnardos Home, Stepney Causeway, East London. In 1870, Thomas Barnardo set up a home for destitute boys at 18-26 Stepney Causeway

Bootmakers Shop at Barnardos Home, Stepney Causeway
Bootmakers shop at Barnardos Home, Stepney Causeway, East London. In 1870, Thomas Barnardo set up a home for destitute boys at 18-26 Stepney Causeway

Ironing Room at Barnardos Girls Home, Barkingside
Ironing room at Barnardos Home, Barkingside, Essex. In 1873, Thomas Barnardo set up, a Village Home for Orphan, Neglected and Destitute Girls at Barkingside

Salvation Army Labour Colony at Hadleigh, Essex
Entrance to the Salvation Armys labour colony at Hadleigh in Essex. Uniformed officers stand on duty. Founded in 1891 as a farming colony

Salvation Army knitting factory
Girls at work in a Salvation Army knitting factory. They are all wearing regulation long white aprons

Salvation Army elevator dormitory
A dormitory in a Salvation Army Elevator. Elevators, which aimed to help the unskilled or unemployed, combined a factory space together with hostel accommodation for those working there

Laundry, Holborn Union Workhouse, Mitcham
Female inmates at work in the laundry at the Holborn Union workhouse, Mitcham, Surrey. Some women are using flat irons. Clean washing is piled on a table. A large press stands at the rear

Shoemaking Workshop, Holborn Union Workhouse, Mitcham
The shoemaking workshop at the Holborn Union workhouse, Mitcham, Surrey. Male inmates are at work making and repairing shoes for use in the workhouse

Census tabulation in former Lambeth workhouse
Data from the 1931 census being transferred to punched cards in the former Lambeth workhouse - presumably the one on Princes Road (now Black Prince Road), Lambeth, south London

Training Ship Exmouth, flag signalling drill
Uniformed boys on the deck of the Training Ship Exmouth learning flag signalling. The Exmouth, moored off Grays in Essex, was used by the Metropolitan Asylums Board as a naval training establishment

Training Ship Exmouth, gun crew
Uniformed boys on the deck of the Training Ship Exmouth in formation as a gun crew, pulling a gun carriage. The Exmouth, moored off Grays in Essex

German wartime employment WWI
German women employed in a German munitions factory during World War I

French forced labourers WWII
Forced labourers leave gare du Nord, Paris, for Germany during World War II

New Worker - Fisher & Ludlows, Tipton
A photograph taken for an advertisement for the Daily Mirror of the type of New Worker the paper was trying to attract into its readership

Threads entering a weaving machine
A woman factory worker in blue uniform feeds light blue thread into a large piece of (possibly weaving?) machinery at Patons & Baldwins factory in Darlington

Bootblack at Prince of Wales investiture, Caernarvon

Horse and cart during transport strike, Liverpool
A driver who did not need police protection -- a man with his horse and cart, and a dog for good measure. The Liverpool transport strike began with two of the seamens unions

Strikers rally in London, with mounted police
A strikers rally in London during the national transport strike, with mounted police on hand to keep order

Duchess of Fife at Church Army Labour Tent opening
The Duchess of Fife (Princess Louise, Princess Royal, 1867-1931), eldest daughter of Edward VII, opening the King Edward VII Labour Tent in Kingsway, Central London, for the Church Army

Duchess of Westminster at Church Army depot
Katherine Caroline Cavendish, Duchess of Westminster (1857-1941), second wife of the 1st Duke of Westminster, opening a Church Army Labour Relief Depot in Artillery Row, Central London

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

From the Royal Navy to the Metropolitan Police, employment opportunities have shaped history. Step into the past with a glimpse at iconic recruitment posters like the Royal Navy's vintage advertising poster and the German propaganda poster from WW1. Reflect on moments of resilience, as seen in The Jarrow March of 1936, where determined marchers sought better employment prospects. Witness diversity in roles through recruitment signs for organizations like WaC and WRNS, showcasing women's contributions during wartime. Celebrate empowerment as Welsh women road builders pave their way in South Wales. Explore solidarity through trades union membership certificates and witness craftsmanship within a dressmaker's workshop. Marvel at Ford Motor Company employees who drove innovation in Detroit, Michigan, USA. And finally, cheer for progress as seven women police officers form a netball team - breaking barriers one game at a time. Employment has always been more than just work; it is an ever-evolving tapestry that weaves together stories of ambition, dedication, and collective growth.