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Button-making, Elliots Button Factory, Birmingham 1844
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Button-making, Elliots Button Factory, Birmingham 1844
Women working at long benches stamping, pressing and punching on buttons at Elliots Factory, Birmingham. Date: 1844
Mary Evans Picture Library makes available wonderful images created for people to enjoy over the centuries
Media ID 20158955
© Bubblepunk
1840s 1844 Benches Birmingham Button Buttons Pressing Punching Stamping
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative image captures the daily scene at Elliots Button Factory in Birmingham during the 1840s. The photograph, taken in 1844, depicts a group of women intently focused on their tasks at long benches, each engaged in the intricate process of button-making. The women are deeply absorbed in their work, their expressions reflecting a sense of determination and concentration. At the left of the image, one woman uses a stamping tool to press designs onto the flat, round discs of metal or shell that will become buttons. Another woman, seated next to her, uses a small hammer to punch intricate patterns into the buttons. Yet another woman, at the far right of the photograph, presses buttons through a die to shape them into their final form. The scene is one of industry and productivity, with the women working in unison to produce buttons in large quantities. The long benches, arranged in rows, allow for an efficient production line, with each woman specializing in a particular step in the button-making process. The women's dexterity and skill are on full display, as they manipulate the buttons with precision and care. This photograph offers a glimpse into the world of 19th-century British industry, where women played a crucial role in the manufacturing sector. The button-making industry was particularly significant, supplying buttons to the textile industry and to the military, among other sectors. The women of Elliots Button Factory were part of a larger network of skilled laborers who contributed to the economic and industrial growth of Birmingham and the wider region. Despite the industrious atmosphere, the scene also conveys a sense of community and camaraderie among the women. Their shared focus on their work creates a sense of unity and purpose, as they work together to create a product that was essential to the daily lives of people across Britain and beyond.
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