Pilgrim Laundry photographs
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The Pilgrim Laundry photographs consists of six black-and-white photographs (five of which are mounted) showing interior views of the Brooklyn-based Pilgrim Laundry, dating from circa 1910. The photographs show laundry workers (primarily women) on the job using industrial laundry machinery of the period. There is also one view of a cook in the company kitchen preparing food for workers.
Historical note
Pilgrim Laundry opened in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1894. The founders, James Edwin Dann and Edward Huff Bancker set out to open a laundry business based on the belief that the business would flourish if workers were given fair labor standards. In 1910, a fire destroyed the original laundry building. In 1913, Pilgrim Laundry was able to open a new plant in the Windsor Terrace neighborhood of Brooklyn that included recreation facilities and a vacation clubhouse for employees. In 1921, the company began to allow employees to buy stock in the company and by 1937 over 50% of the company was employee-owned. When Bancker died in 1939, his stock shares were also bought by employees giving them 75% ownership. By the 1950s, Pilgrim Laundry was entirely employee-owned with their services reaching all four counties of Long Island, as well as Westchester County. Pilgrim Laundry was later acquired by another firm. Under the practices of the new ownership, Pilgrim Laundry went out of business in the 1960s.
Sources:
- Liz Farrell. "A History of Windsor Terrace." Bell of Confusion Blog. Accessed August 19, 2011. http://web.me.com/davidbellel/BellofConfusion/A_History_Of_Windsor_Terrace.html
- "Services: Pilgrims' Progress." Time Magazine, February 6, 1939. Accessed August 19, 2011. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,771479,00.html
Scope and Contents
The Pilgrim Laundry photographs consists of six black-and-white photographs (five of which are mounted) showing interior views of the Brooklyn-based Pilgrim Laundry, dating from circa 1910. The photographs show laundry workers (primarily women) on the job using industrial laundry machinery of the period. There is also one view of a cook in the company kitchen preparing food for workers.
Subjects
Organizations
Topics
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright for anonymously created items remain in effect for 120 years following the date of creation. Based on the estimated date of the photographs, the collection will enter the public domain in 2030. For information on securing rights to publish or reproduce, please see the Brooklyn Historical Society Reproduction Rights Policy.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Pilgrim Laundry photographs, V1989.003, Box number, Object ID number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mrs. Arline R. Benedict, 1989.
Other Finding Aids
Item-level description and digital versions of images from the collection are available for searching via the online image database.
About this Guide
Processing Information note
Fully processed to the item level.
