1880s Child Labor Pipe Fitter Boys Cabinet Photo

Item Details

Pipefitting began during the Industrial Revolution as a way to retrofit modern gas & water pipes into buildings whose designers had never anticipated their invention.

 

Young boys (sometimes called crawlers) were trained en masse for this work, as they were able to squeeze into spaces that men simply couldn’t.

 

It is still unbelievably rare to see an entirely juvenile work force. There is some argument this is a trade school, the two supervisors could be instructors.

 

5.25 x 8.5” boudoir cabinet photo. Signed Baker’s Art Gallery in Columbus Ohio. Sunlight exposure w/ light soiling and pencil X.