What Can A Woman Do?

Believe it or not, I am not just being facetious.  There is actually a book by that title.   It was published in 1893 and provides early views of the then-emerging successful business woman.  I cannot seem to put my hands on my copy of the book, but if memory serves, the book lists about 15 common occupations open to women at the time.

Of course, we are well past that period in time where women had much fewer choices, and I can happily answer the question I’ve posed in this way:  “Anything she damn well pleases”.

In any event, I thought it would be fun to share 25 fascinating vintage photos of working women on Labor Day.  I hope you enjoy them.

Oh, and speaking of vintage photos of working women, there’s no way that I could have shown every occupation underneath the sun, so I’ve created a new group board on Pinterest, celebrating the wide variety of ways that women work.  If you’d like to contribute to it, just follow me on Pinterest, then shoot me an email, and I’ll gladly add you.

stewardessing

 

printing fabric (or wallpaper?)

 

accounting

 

suffragists

 

gardening

 

painting

 

nursing

 

manufacturing lipstick

 

sewing

 

beautician

 

scientist

 

factory workers making hand-tufted carpeting

 

manufacturing hosiery

 

farming

 

factory work stacking oil cakes

 

picking berries to make wine

 

railway workers

 

homesteading

 

homemaker

 

photographer

 

restaurant work

 

forestry

 

product testing

 

mechanics

 

welding

 

 

 

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