Employment Collection (#96)

Crop Rotation: Sowing and harrowing corn. In Norfolk 4-course system, wheat planted first year, followed by turnips, then barley

Woman using Spinning Jenny - Invented by James Hargreaves (c1720-78) in 1764. Wood engraving c1880

Love Conquered Fear : Michael Armstrong, adopted by mill owner, embracing his brother Edward who is one of the ragged factory boys working amongst the spinning mules

Brickfield: Horse-powered pug mill grinding clay. Woman with hack barrow for transporting green bricks to clamps to dry out before firing

Pillow Lace Maker. Mezzotint by WN Gardner (1766-1814) after painting by Ann Jonnet Evans. Idealised picture of Bedfordshire lacemaker working at her cottage door

The Staffordshire Girl: Mezzotint by WN Gardner (1766-1814) after picture by Sylvester Harding (1745-1809). The girl is decorating a Staffordshire ware teapot in a factory

World War II 1939-1945. The more women at work the sooner we win American poster showing a woman working in an aircraft factory, 1943. Employment Female Propaganda

Group of agricultural labourers at the time of the passing of the first Reform Act in 1832. Engraving

King Coal and Commerce discussing the consequences of the 8 Hours Bill restricting hours of work if it passed through Parliament. Bernard Partridge cartoon from Punch, 18 March 1908

Trade Unionist telling Mr Punch that he will strike first and negotiate afterwards. Cartoon from Punch, London, 5 June 1912

Satirical view of Trade Unions and their demands from tailors and bricklayers to police and clergy. Lithograph 1830s

General Association : A trade union meeting represented in an unsympathetic manner in Thomas Macleans caricatures published London, 1830s

French postal service. Women in the Returned Letter Office trying to find the correct addresses to which returned letters should be sent. Engraving from Le Journal de la Jeunesse (Paris, 1886)

Dressmakers working into the night to finish dresses for fashionable ladies. Chromolithograph from a childrens book published London, 1867

The Great Hall of Marshalls Flax Mill, Leeds, Yorkshire, England. The roof is supported on cast iron columns, and glazed skylights give even overhead light

Women and girls and a young boy at work in Bryant & Mays match factory, Fairfield Road, Bow, London. From The Illustrated London News (London, 1871). Engraving

Seminole Alligator Wrestling
Miami, Florida: c. 1960 A Seminole Indian selects his wrestling partner. Note the bandaged thumb from the previuos skirmish

Ford Willow Run Bomber Plant
Ypsilanti, Michigan: July, 1942. Production at the Ford Willow Run bomber plant. Steady of eye and hand, women workers at the great Willow Run bomber plant are among those throughout the country who

Pinsetter At A Bowling Alley
California: c. 1950. A young woman working as a pinsetter at a bowling alley

HighSteel Coffee Break
Chicago, Illinois: 1965. A steel worker on a beam takes a coffee break high above Lakeshore Drive in Chicago

Woman Worker During World War Two
Troy, Michigan: 1942. The Budd Companys Conestoga RB-1, the Flying Boxcar, a stainless steel cargo plane, being towed by a woman ground crew worker during World War Two

Textile Workers Strike Meeting
Greenville, South Carolina: September 5, 1934. Strikers at the Duncan Mill discuss plans for future action after learning that National Guardsmen had been called out to maintain order

A Woman Elevator Operator
London, England: c. 1927. A woman lift operator at a store in London

Injured Garment Workers
New York, New York: April 27, 1933. Lying on the street are some of the injured workers after men armed with guns, knives

Empire State Window Washer
New York, New York: c. 1937 One of the many men employed keeping the windows clean on the 102 floors of the Empire State Building

Garment Factory Workers
Vermont: c. 1915. Women workers in a garment factory

1905 Busy Office Scene
United States: c. 1905. A busy office scene with a dictaphone, many secretaries, and a man operating a new Burroughs Adding Machine

Road Workers In LA
Los Angeles, California: c. 1924. Road workers pause from their ditch digging for a portrait

Women With Wheelbarrows
Amblecote, England: c. 1930. Women villagers working at the local firebricks works in Stourbridge. The bricks are handmade and are unequalled in quality

Worker Stamping Out Bricks
Haverstraw, New York: July 29, 1924. A worker in a Hudson River brickyard stamping out the bricks to straighten the sides

KIds At The Controls
United States: c. 1935. A couple of kids pretend to run the steam shovel at a mine while the fathers stand by. One is wearing an NRA (National Recovery Act) sign on his chest

British Construction Scene
Crookham, Hampshire, England: May 22, 1939. Construction beginning on the new camp to hold 5, 000 of Englands militia and conscripts

Lumberjack With Early Chainsaw
Bellingham, Washington: c. 1916 A motorized and portable drag saw being used by lumbermen in Washington. Note the end of the blade exiting the log at the top

Lumber Mill Worker
Canada: 1956. A worker in a pulp mill maneuvers logs to be steamed so the bark can be removed

Stock Exchange Hires Women
New Orleans, Louisiana: December 18, 1941 Girls are employed for the first time to mark up stock quotations by a New Orleans brokerage house

The Labour Market In Australia: The Unemployed Who Are Not Anxious For Employment, A Sketch In The Treasury Gardens, Melbourne, 1892 Engraving

Woman carrying a load of coal up a turnpike spiral stair - Scotland. From Matthias Dunn A Treatise on the Winning and Working of Collieries, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1848. Engraving

A woman tries to answer four telephones
United States: c. 1968. A very happy woman tries to answer four telephones at once

Children carrying loads of clay in the brickyards of the English Midlands. It was estimated that at this time there were between 20, 000 and 30

Women workers hauling coal to the surface up a ladder. Leading woman has lost her load and the woman following is in danger of being hurt buy falling coal and and falling off the ladder

Women climbing ladders to carry coal up a mineshaft. Scotland, early nineteenth century. Wood engraving from L. Simonin " Mines and Miners", London, c1865

Young woman tuning a grand piano. Piano tuning was considered a suitable occupation for a young lady forced to earn a living. Wood engraving, 1887

Robert Applegarth (1834 - 1924) prominent English trade union leader

Vintage man looking through classified ads in newspaper

Career ladder, conceptual artwork C016 / 7507
Career ladder, conceptual computer artwork

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)

Unemployed workers demonstrate along London streets
" Unemployed workers demonstrate along London streets against the lack of employment. Drawing by F.Barnard published in " The Illustrated London News". Engraving."

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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.