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Primary Source of the Month

“The Sewing Room at A.T. Stewart’s,” Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, April 24, 1875.
“The Sewing Room at A.T. Stewart’s,” Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, April 24, 1875.

In pre-industrial America, it was assumed by society that a woman’s responsibilities were in the home. Women had a variety of tasks that consumed the majority of each day, including childcare, sewing and mending, cooking, cleaning, food preservation, and general household management. Though some women worked outside the home, this was more the exception than the rule. By the early 1800s this norm began to change rapidly, with increasing numbers of women working outside the home. Industrialization and the development of factory production, created a need for a large, inexpensive labor force. Factory owners began employing large numbers of women . . . and children. Between 1800 and 1850, these women and children became the majority of the first factory labor forces.

The engraving above, titled “The Sewing Room at A.T. Stewart’s,” appeared in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper on April 24, 1875. It shows several hundred women who were employed by Stewart to hand-sew clothing. Manufactured clothing was a new concept for the public during this time period. Established in 1859, A.T. Stewart’s department store was one of the first large retail stores established in New York City. A.T. Stewart’s and other similar department stores offered a wide variety of manufactured goods that had become easily obtainable after the industrial revolution.

The above engraving illustrates the new job opportunities available to women during this time period. Since women sewed in the home, it was accepted that many of them could continue such work outside of the home. Most of these women were young single women, since married women were still expected to focus on work within the home. Opportunities such as those offered by employers such as A.T. Stewart’s provided women with increased economic freedom, something which had previously been elusive for most women.

Written by Elizabeth Davis, research intern, Department of Education Outreach, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.