Sepia Saturday - Workers
Alan Burnett from Sepia Saturday advises the following for today's prompt:
"boxes, paper, workers, machines and dangerously long skirts spring to my mind. All you have to do is to select an old photograph or two and say a few things about them and if you can tie it in with your interpretation of the theme image, well that is a bonus. Post your posts, link it to the list below and then pop in and visit as many other Sepians as you can manage. Easy peasy!"
Well - here she is...my female worker.
No idea if she is wearing a dangerously long skirt...I suspect so.
I am fascinated by what she is wearing. It looks to be quite a heavy, I don't know, serge type fabric I suppose..quite swish really. And do you think that is a bib she is wearing?
Anyway, this is from my grandfather's album. No identifying information on the photo I'm afraid. I'd say it's a McLoughlin - maybe a sister or an aunt.
She could be working in a Post Office (is that where telephone exchange people worked?) It's just they look like post boxes in the background there but I guess they could just be any office filing system really. She is standing rather than sitting.
I'm thinking Bathurst or Orange.
Someone au fait with the history of telephony help me here.
This article suggests that women in country areas doubled as postmistress and telegraph operator.
There's a rather nice image of the women on the switchboard at Anthony Hordern's in Sydney c1905 here on the State Library of NSW website. And this one of the Jerilderee telephone exchange.
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| Operators at the telephone exchange in the post office, Pittsworth, ca. 1910 Image by J.H. Pardey and held at John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Copyright expired |
These poor chaps look less than inspired by their job don't they?
If you want to find out more you can read Jeffery Rickertt's thesis online called
Resistance on the line: A history of Australian telephonists and their trade unions, 1880-1988
Looking for more pictures of workers or boxes or machines or really anything ?
Head on over to Sepia Saturday.
Looking for more pictures of workers or boxes or machines or really anything ?
Head on over to Sepia Saturday.
Comments
Thanks Brett!
In my subscriptions list, right under you, another blog I subscribe to has sepia-ority too: Tony in Everton UK
the size of that board is a town. There has been great comedy in old films from party lines jokes. Your relative migght have taken a call from the city to a family in that small town, and when The Party didn't answer, she would be able to say to the caller miles away "oh It's Tuesday and Doris must be at CWA meeting so call back after 4pm" - like a whole town having a Secretary.