Home Industry Collection

AMERICAN GOTHIC, 1942. Ella Watson, a US Government Chairwoman. Photograph by Gordon Parks, 1942

SHOEMAKER, 17th CENTURY. Woodcut from the 1659 English edition of Comenius Orbis
SHOEMAKER, 17th CENTURY. Woodcut from the 1659 English edition of Comenius " Orbis sensualium pictus."

COLONIAL CLOTH MAKERS. Carding, spinning, and weaving woolen cloth in an 18th century American household. Drawing, 19th century

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1913. A mother and father and their nine-year-old daughter finishing garments in dilapidated tenement apartment in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, January 1913

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1911. A family making flowers in a unsanitary tenement apartment at 302 Mott Street in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, December 1911

SWEATSHOP, 1890. A necktie workshop in a tenement on Division Street, New York City. Photograph, 1890, by Jacob A. Riis

COLONIAL CLOTH MAKERS. Carding, spinning, and weaving woolen cloth in an 18th century American household. Drawing, 19th century

Mushrooms with grower
Mushrooms growing in a shed with the grower. July 1939 George Garland Collection West Sussex Record Office Ref No: Garland N18372A

TEXTILE COTTAGE INDUSTRY. The cottage industry of carding, spinning, and weaving of wool or flax into cloth in colonial America. Wood engraving, early 19th century

STARK LOVE, 1927. Helen Mundy in a scene from the film

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1924. A young girl and boy cutting lace at home in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, March 1924

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1924. A young girl cutting lace at her home in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, March 1924

HOME INDUSTRY, c1910. An immigrant family making mens trousers in their New York City tenement home. Oil over a photograph, by Lewis W. Hine, c1910

HOME INDUSTRY, 1910. A New York tenement family making garters. Photographed by Lewis Hine, c1910

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1923. A 13-year-old girl embroidering a dress by hand in Newark, New Jersey. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine, 1923

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A woman carrying a bundle of clothing for home-work on Lafayette Street in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, February 1912

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A woman and son carrying clothing for home-work near Astor Place in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, February 1912

TENEMENT BUILDING, 1912. A tenement building in need of repair with eight families doing home-work in poor conditions at 233 East 107th Street in New York City

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. An Italian immigrant woman carrying a heavy bundle of clothing near Astor Place in New York City, to be finished at her tenement home

HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A woman in a tenement in New Yorks Lower East Side, sewing mens trousers. Photograph by Lewis Hine, February 1912

SHOEMAKER, 1659. A shoemaker. Woodcut from the 1659 English edition of Comenius Orbis sensualium pictus

ANTI CHILD LABOR POSTER. National Child Labor Committee exhibit panel describing the negative effects of child labor in the home industry. Photographs by Lewis Wickes Hine, c1913

HINE: CHILD LABOR, 1912. A young girl carrying a sack of hose supporters home in Worcester, Massachusetts. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine, November 1912

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A mother and her four sons setting stones in cheap jewelry at their kitchen table in their home in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine, November 1912

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A Jewish family making garters in the kitchen of their tenement home in New York City, New York. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine, November 1912

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. Mrs. Mary George, daughter Mary and son Aaron working on crochet slippers in their home in Worcester, Massachusetts; the mother and daughter both have vision problems

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A young girl working on crochet while her grandmother peels potatoes in their tenement home in the Lower East Side, New York City, New York

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A mother and her daughter working on embroidery in their tenement home in New York City, New York. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine, November 1912

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. Boys and girls working on garment tags on the steps of a tenement home in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine, August 1912

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A girl carrying several boxes of garment tags on the street in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine, August 1912

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. Annie Fedele working on crochet in the kitchen of her tenement home in Sommerville, Massachusetts. Photograph by Lewis Hine, August 1912

NEW YORK: SWEATSHOP. Italian women sewing in a Lower Manhattan sweatshop. Photograph by Jacob Riis, c1900

HINE: SWEATSHOP, 1908. Group of workers sewing garments in a sweatshop in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, 1908

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1910. Three young girls and a boy working on garments in a tenement apartment in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, February 1910

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A woman with a group of young girls working on garment tags on a tenement stoop in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Photograph by Lewis Hine, August 1912

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1910. A mother and daughter making embroidery in a tenement apartment on the Upper East Side in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, February 1910

HOME INDUSTRY, 1910. A woman and her children making artificial flowers in their New York City tenement home. Photographed in 1910 by Lewis W. Hine

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A mother and her two children finishing garments in a tiny one room tenement apartment at 214 Elizabeth Street in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, December 1912

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A mother and her young children doing piecework for garments, often until 9 P.M. at night in a tenement home in Worcester, Massachusetts

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A woman and children sitting around a table making chains for handbags in a tenement apartment in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, November 1912

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A woman putting bristles into toothbrushes in the kitchen of her tenement home in Leeds, Massachusetts. Photograph by Lewis Hine, September 1912

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1912. A young girl carrying a bundle of kimonos for home-work on Thompson Street in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, February 1912

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1911. A mother and her seven-year-old daughter working on lace in a tenement at 301 East 114th Street in New York City

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1911. A mother and her thirteen-year-old daughter working on pillow-lace in a dirty tenement kitchen at 213 East 111th Street in New York City

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1911. A family making willow plumes from feathers, as the unemployed truck-driver father observes the work in an unsanitary tenement apartment at 309 East 110th Street in New

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1911. A family making feathers late at night as the unemployed father observes the work in an unsanitary tenement apartment in New York City

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1911. A family including the father shelling nuts in basement with unsanitary conditions in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, December 1911

HINE: HOME INDUSTRY, 1911. Young children shelling nuts in a tenement apartment at 145 Hudson Street in New York City. Photograph by Lewis Hine, December 1911

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Unveiling the Legacy of Home Industry: From American Gothic to Cottage Crafts" Step back in time and witness the captivating tales woven by generations through the lens of home industry. In 1942, Gordon Parks immortalized Ella Watson, a US Government Chairwoman, in his iconic photograph "American Gothic. " This powerful image stands as a testament to the resilience and strength found within our homes. Travel further back to the 17th century, where woodcuts from Comenius Orbis depict shoemakers diligently crafting footwear. Their skilled hands shaped not only shoes but also their own destinies, showcasing how home industry empowered individuals throughout history. In colonial America, cloth makers engaged in carding, spinning, and weaving woolen fabrics. The rhythmic dance of looms echoed through households as families transformed raw materials into garments that would warm their loved ones during chilly winters. The early 20th century witnessed both triumphs and struggles within home industries. Lewis Hine's poignant photographs capture moments frozen in time - a mother and father alongside their nine-year-old daughter immersed in productive labor; another family creating delicate flowers amidst unsanitary conditions. These images remind us of the complexities faced by those who relied on home-based work for survival. Venturing into New York City's sweatshops of yesteryears reveals necktie workshops nestled within crowded tenements on Division Street circa 1890. Here, dreams clashed with reality as workers strived for economic stability while enduring harsh working conditions. Yet amid these challenges emerged stories brimming with hope and creativity. Mushroom growers nurtured nature's bounty right at their doorstep – an embodiment of self-sufficiency rooted in home industry traditions. Textile cottage industries thrived during colonial times when carding wheels spun tales of craftsmanship passed down from one generation to another. Wood engravings from the early 19th century offer glimpses into this world where flax or wool transformed into cloth, embodying the spirit of self-reliance.