The thirteen photographs in this slideshow depict farm laborers, factory employees, and other Wisconsin workers from the 1890s to the 1970s. Looking at these images, we wonder: what was on the minds of these now-anonymous men and women as they posed for the photographer? Were they proud of their work, their uniforms, their employers? Were they pleased to have a break or anxious to get back to the task at hand?
Employees of the American Brass Company assembled outside the Kenosha plant, ca. 1913. Source: Kenosha County Historical Society. 
Employees pose outside of H. J. Ammann Cigar Factory with a portrait of company founder Henry Ammann in the foreground, Kiel, ca. 1900. Source: Heritage Collection, Kiel Public Library. 
Workers at City Hall construction site, Milwaukee, 1896. Source: Milwaukee Public Library. 
Warner Dredging Company work crew, Adams County, ca. 1912. Photo by Taylor Brothers. Source: UW-La Crosse. 
Two paper counters at the Bergstrom Paper Company, Menasha, ca. 1910. Source: Menasha Public Library. Read more about Wisconsin’s history of paper manufacturing in the Fox Valley Memory Project. 
Pure Foods Company employees with a shipment of Jiffy-Jell (a precursor to Jell-O) destined for France, Waukesha, 1917. Photo by Warren O’Brien. Source: Waukesha County Historical Society. 
Globe Shipbuilding employees, Superior, ca. 1942. Globe built ships for military use during World War II. Source: UW-Superior. Read more about wartime shipbuilding in the Dictionary of WI History. 
“Gaynor’s Rakers” – harvesting crew for Gaynor Cranberry Company, Wisconsin Rapids, 1912. Photo by Taylor Brothers. Source: South Wood County Historical Corporation. 
“The stacking crew” posed in front of a haystack, Cornfalfa Farms, Waukesha County, early 20th c. Source: New Berlin Historical Society. 
Badger Auto Service attendants, Milwaukee, 1936. Source: Milwaukee Public Library. 
Bus drivers for the Milwaukee County Transit System, 1952. Photo by Fred Stanger. Source: Milwaukee Public Library. 
Staff of the Bank of Brodhead, 1960s or 1970s. Photo by Truman Olin. Source: Brodhead Historical Society. 
A logging crew relaxes in the bunkhouse, unidentified Northwoods location, 1900-1920. Photo by A. J. Kingsbury. Source: Langlade County Historical Society.
Sources
The images in this slideshow come from the following digital collections. Follow the links to browse and search the full collections.
- Big Streets in a Little City: Downtown Street Scenes in Kiel, 1860-1980, Kiel Public Library. Part of the State of Wisconsin Collection from University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
- Brodhead Historical Society Online Archive
- Great Lakes Maritime History Project. Part of the State of Wisconsin Collection from UWDC
- Kenosha’s Lost Industries: Photographs and Corporate Materials, 1850s-1990s, Kenosha Public Library and Kenosha County Historical Society. Part of the State of Wisconsin Collection from UWDC
- Langlade County Historical Society
- Menasha Local History Collection, Menasha Public Library. Part of the State of Wisconsin Collection from UWDC
- Milwaukee Historic Photos, Milwaukee Public Library
- New Berlin Historical Society
- Taylor Brothers Photographs, Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Part of the State of Wisconsin Collection from UWDC
- Waukesha County History 1870-1920, Waukesha Public Library and Waukesha County Historical Society. Part of the State of Wisconsin Collection from UWDC
- Wetherby Cranberry Library Digital Archives, Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association
