Employment Collection (#92)

Wonderland of Work by C. L. Mateaux
Front Cover - Wonderland of Work by C. L. Mateaux Date: circa 1880

Three women in a small business - wearing overalls - sadly their exact profession is not easy to determine. The machine (back left) may be some form of polishing wheel?? Date: 1930

Stonemason working with granite in a workshop. Date: circa 1970s

Man serving in fish and chip shop, Cornwall
Man serving in a fish and chip shop, Cornwall. circa 1970s

Dockers unload sugar at the West India Docks, London Date: 1889

R T Parkins shop, Butler, Pennsylvania, USA, with Mr Parkin himself, the driver and a female assistant standing in the doorway, shortly before closing time. Date: 1909

Glove cutters at work, Gloversville, New York State, USA
Glove cutters at work in Gloversville, New York State, USA. Date: circa 1913

Testing Candidates by William Heath Robinson
Testing candidates for the position of water diviner on the Metropolitan Water Board. Credit must appear as: Courtesy of Mrs J. C. Robinson/Pollinger Ltd/Mary Evans Picture Library Date: 1947

Women working in Army Remount Depot by Cecil Aldin, WW1
Sketch by Cecil Aldin for his painting of women working at one of the Army Remount Depots under his command in Berkshire during the First World War

Gwen Aldin at Army Remount Depot, WW1
Gwen Aldin, daughter of the artist Cecil Aldin, pictured with one of her charges at an Army Remount Depot during the First World War

Female lift attendant at a West End business, WW1
" Men must fight, and women must work." A woman lift attendant at a business in London in 1915. 1915

Women gunnery opticians, Illustrated War News, WW1
Women gunnery " opticians". Learning gun-sight lens making at Northampton Institute during the First World War. Date: 1917

Employment of dogs in warfare, French Lines, WW1
Employment of dogs in warfare, showing shelters for Red Cross dogs within the French Lines. The kennels are bombproof and made as comfortable as possible. Date: 1915

Care of the Bus Conductress, WW1
A female bus conductor working for the London General Omnibus Company during the First World War, pictured seated on a special platform installed to allow for a rest on long journeys about the city

Women ambulance attendants and drivers, WW1
Women acting as attendants and drivers at the new London County Council Ambulance station in Bloomsbury, wearing a special uniform adapted to the special needs of their employment when on duty

Sheepdog guarding French trench, WW1
A sheepdog guarding a French trench, seen here at the entrance to a dugout. Date: 1915

Soldiers & sailors blinded in war learning useful trades
Patients at the Blind Soldiers and Sailors Hostel of St Dunstan in Regents Park being taught new skills to equip them for life

WW1 - French Women working in Munitions Factory Date: 1916

Bureaucratic staff in ministries in 1919
A diagram showing the inflation in temporary and female personnel in various Ministries in Westminster and Whitehall necessitated by the First World War

The Last Tea by Higgins
Swiftly fled each honey d hour Spent with military male; Metropole became a bower Cecil an Arcadian vale. A rather mournful female clerical worker or secretary takes her last cup of tea of her

Land girls on a Surrey farm, WW1
A group of cheery land girls taking a break from work on a Surrey farm in 1917. The Bystander magazine, in which this photograph was published, comments

If Only They d Make Old Bill President of those Tribunals
" well, whats your job, me lad?" " Making spots for rocking-horses, sir" " Three months" " Exemption, sir

Women drivers of the RAF, WW1
Drivers roll call at a south London garage of the Royal Air Force. The women are pictured lined up in khaki uniform. Date: 1918

Women workers manufacturing synthetic phenol, WW1
Women munition workers testing the temperature of phenol as it runs into drums during the production of explosives. Date: 1918

Gamages outfits for women workers on the land, WW1
Advertisement for Gamages, the famous Holborn department store, promoting their smart and serviceable outfits for women workers on the land, during the First World War. Date: 1918

Munitions workers waiting for the tea hooter, WW1
Women munitions workers outside the National Control Canteen, run by female volunteers, waiting for the tea hooter to sound

Tea Time in Dining Hall of National Control Canteen, WW1
Female munitions workers in the dining hall of the National Control Canteen, run by voluntary lady workers to provide cheap, nutritious meals for employees. Date: 1916

Training munition workers at Shoreditch Technical Institute
Scenes showing the training of munition workers at Shoreditch Technical Institute (run by London County Council) during the First World War

Woman motor driver teaching soldier to drive, WW1
A new driver in the Army Motor Transport section being taught to steer by a female instructor during the First World War. A school to teach women driving and car mechanics was established by the Hon

Women at a car mechanics class, WW1
Women at a school in London established by Gabrielle Borthwick (daughter of the late Baron Borthwick) where driving and mechanics were taught during the First World War

Women being trained at an L. C. C. technical college, WW1
Women and men together studying the theory of machine tool using at the Shoreditch Technical Institute during the First World War

Women Gardeners at Windsor, WW1
One of the four women gardeners employed at Windsor Castle during the First World War, pictured opening the top-lights in the glass-houses

Students at a school for women chemists, WW1
Women at a London County Council school in Hammersmith, training in chemistry following the acceptance of women dispensers by the Army medical authorities during the First World War

Changes in Whitehall, WW1 cartoon
Cartoon demonstrating the changes at Whitehall during the First World War, when women replaced men in most of the clerical roles, and the war necessitated the War Offices expansion. Date: 1916

General Electric strike, Schenectady, New York, USA
General Electric strike on pay day, 8 October 1913, in Schenectady, New York State, USA. 1913

Woman delivery van driver, WW1
A woman in uniform takes over a traditional male role as the driver of a horse drawn delivery van during the First World War. Date: 1914-1918

Woman bus conductor, WW1
A girl bus conductor in her blue uniform, with gaiters and turned up hat, rings the bell on the no 25 route which travels from Marble Arch in central London to Ilford on the outskirts of East London

Woman railway officials on the Underground, WW1
Two women in uniform working on the London Underground during the First World War in jobs which were previously carried out by men. Date: 1914-1918

Signing on for Munition Work, WW1
Women signing up for work in munitions factories during the First World War. Date: 1914-18

A Munitionette, Munition worker, WW1
A woman operating an automatic cartridge machine in a munition factory during the First World War. Date: 1917

Three women staff officers, London HQ, WW2
Three women staff officers in AFS London uniform, 10 November 1941. They were appointed to London headquarters to work in the recruitment and employment of women in the National Fire Service

NFS recruiting van at Olympia
A National Fire Service recruiting van at Olympia, West London, 14 February 1946, possibly aiming to recruit soldiers returning from the war and visiting to the RAOC (Royal Army Ordnance Corps)

St Dunstans Hostel advertisement, WW1
A full page of The Tatler devoted to reporting on the work of St. Dunstans Hostel for Blinded Soldiers and Sailors in Regents Park, London

Women wanted for War Work, WW1
Advertisement by the Motor Drivers Licensed Employment Bureau calling for women to train as engineers during the First World War. Full training in machinery and car repairs offered. Date: 1918

Demobilisation - pivotal and slip men in Whitehall
Demobilised men at the Demobilisation Office in Whitehall waiting to get their papers. The group here are captioned as pivotal (the job creators)

Jelks in wartime, second hand furniture merchant, WW1
Advertisement for Jelk s, W. Jelks & Sons of Holloway Road, London, with fifty years experience in house removals and second hand furniture

Lady French helping women find work, WW1
Lady French, wife of General French, pictured in a work room at Harrods where unemployed women were engaged at a wage of ten shillings a week with a good dinner and tea daily

Young woman with notebook and pen
Young woman with shorthand notebook and pen -- a typical secretary. circa 1960s

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.