New-York Historical Society Explores the Meaning, Distinction, Evolution, and Politics of Women’s Work

Image: Eugene Gordon (b. 1923), photographer, Chinatown, New York – The Ginseng Store, 1988. Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, New-York Historical Society

Opening this summer, this exhibition examines the inherent historical, political, and cultural implications of what constitutes ‘women’s work’ through 45 objects

This summer, the New-York Historical Society debuts Women’s Work, a new exhibition focused on the meaning, evolution, and range of how and what has been considered “women’s work.” On view July 21, 2023 – August 18, 2024, in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery, the exhibition, organized by the Center for Women’s History, examines how broad trends in American economic, legal, and political history have influenced which jobs—both paid and unpaid—have been performed by women. It explores how race, ethnicity, social class, legal status, sexual orientation, and gender presentation have impacted which kinds of positions are deemed acceptable for women to hold—as well as the kinds of labor women have actually performed. Showcasing approximately 45 objects from New-York Historical’s collection, ranging from a 19th-century mahogany cradle to a 20th-century doctor’s dissection kit to a pinback button with the message “Shirley Chisholm for President,” the exhibition demonstrates how “women’s work” has been both inherently political and essential to American society.

“This deeply insightful exhibition enables a deeper understanding of how the conception of labor typically delegated to women has evolved in tandem with changes to American culture at large,” said Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of New-York Historical. “From the early days of New York City history, when society was dependent on enslaved women and domestic workers, to the expansion of women’s labor outside of the domestic sphere and the advocacy of politicians and activists that was integral to new opportunities, Women’s Work shows the evolution of women’s roles in our culture—giving visitors the opportunity to look at what has changed and what change is still needed.”

“This exhibition looks at how what has been considered work for women has grown and changed over time, spanning categories from ‘pink collar jobs’ to creative work as well as wartime work and sex work,” said Valerie Paley, founding director of the Center for Women’s History and Sue Ann Weinberg Director of the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library. “While this exhibition shows the enormous strides that our society has made towards greater equality, it also brings up issues that continue to be felt today. This is an important exhibition both for what it says about our history and our present.”

Women’s Work opens by introducing the scope and range of women’s labor throughout New York City’s history through objects, photographs, and prints. Objects focusing on domestic and unpaid work include a clothes wringer (1870-1900), which was used to wring water out of clothes in the washing process; a piece of bale cotton sold on the New York Cotton Exchange from 1875, a poignant example of how sharecropping and agricultural labor contributed to the creation of wealth; reproductions of birth certificates of children born to enslaved women in New York City; and photographs of training programs for domestic workers. The exhibition also offers examples of women’s entrepreneurship, with fabric swatches from 18th-century merchant Mary Alexander’s successful trans-Atlantic trading ventures, and licenses issued by New York City that allowed women to support themselves by running small taverns in their homes.

The exhibition also explores care work and the degree to which childcare in particular is necessary for women to be able to participate in the workplace. Demonstrating the role of industrialization and standardization in caring for babies, objects on view range from an early glass nursing bottle (ca. 1830-1860) to the familiar Kuddle Up receiving blanket and infant hat that continue to be worn by newborns in hospitals to this day. In addition, the exhibition examines how certain professions, such as nursing and education, were considered natural extensions of women’s essential role of caring for others. Related items on view include a medical kit owned by Dr. Grace Louise Merritt Vicario, who graduated from the Women’s Medical College of the New York Infirmary for Women and Children in 1892 and an original cast recording from Sesame Street, which, when it debuted in 1969, was a landmark for early childhood education. 

Several examples of creative work demonstrate the range of artistic outlets available to women. This includes photographs by pioneering photographer Jessie Tarbox Beals featuring sculptor Bessie Potter Vonnoh and etiquette columnist Emily Post. Also on display is a projection of lantern slides featuring female film stars women’s roles, including Mary Pickford, Mae West, Jean Harlow, and Marie Dressler, who also worked as producers and screenwriters in order to maintain agency over their careers. A table-top radio broadcasts an excerpt from a recorded speech by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, whose access to mass communication like radio and newspaper columns built her political influence and made her a trusted voice for millions of women before and during World War II. 

The exhibition further explores women and wartime work, especially as they filled labor shortages during World War I. This mobilization effort helped pave the way for the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment that nominally secured women’s right to vote in the United States and helped expand professional fields for women. 

Women’s Work also addresses reproductive rights and sex work. A condom tin from the 1930s reminds visitors of the laws that have governed women’s access to birth control and the ways in which this access—or lack thereof—have impacted women’s work. A photograph taken on West 14th Street in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District in the 1980s speaks to the economic marginalization of trans women at a time when sex work was one of the few ways they could support themselves.

Women’s Work is curated by the Center for Women’s History curatorial staff and fellows, including Jeanne Gutierrez, curatorial scholar in women’s history; Anna Danziger Halperin, associate director; Allison Robinson, Mellon postdoctoral fellow in women’s history and public history; Laura Mogulescu, curator of women’s history collections; Keren Ben-Horin, curatorial scholar in women’s history; Jessica Fletcher, Mellon predoctoral awardee in women’s history and public history; La-Kisha Emmanual, Mellon predoctoral awardee in women’s history and public history; and Ksenia Soboleva, Mellon postdoctoral fellow in gender and LGBTQ+ history.

Programming
Related women’s history salons will take place during the exhibition’s run; details will be available online. Private group tours can also be arranged. Throughout the exhibition, family programs, including story time and Living History, will take place. A family guide will be available for younger visitors to explore the gallery. 

Support
Exhibitions in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery are made possible by Joyce B. Cowin and New-York Historical’s Women’s History Council. Exhibitions at New-York Historical are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.

About the New-York Historical Society
Experience 400 years of history through groundbreaking exhibitions, immersive films, and thought-provoking conversations among renowned historians and public figures at the New-York Historical Society, New York’s first museum. A great destination for history since 1804, the Museum and the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library convey the stories of the city and nation’s diverse populations, expanding our understanding of who we are as Americans and how we came to be. Ever-rising to the challenge of bringing little or unknown histories to light, New-York Historical will soon inaugurate a new wing housing its Academy for American Democracy as well as the American LGBTQ+ Museum. These latest efforts to help forge the future by documenting the past join New-York Historical’s DiMenna Children’s History Museum and Center for Women’s History. Digital exhibitions, apps, and our For the Ages podcast make it possible for visitors everywhere to dive more deeply into history. Connect with us at nyhistory.org or at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr.