Enclosed are five journal entries from a diary written by a young woman who lived at the beginning of the 19th Century. The diary was found in a cubbyhole in the stairs of an old condemned building in New York City. It was later brought to the document section of the library for further study as much of the subject matter was of interest to students of historical research in New York City, especially as pertains to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 and subsequent labor laws after that event. Because of the recent Labor Day Holiday, this seemed like an appropriate topic to address.
Upon reading the diary it was discovered that the young woman who wrote the it was a Lucia Angelina Olivieri, who had immigrated over from Sicily with her family when she was but six years old. According to early diary entries, she was the oldest of five children, and though intelligent beyond her years, was forced to quit her schooling so that she could help her mother bring home wages after the death of her father from tuberculosis. The following five entries demonstrate some of the experiences she went through as she obtained a position at the Triangle Factory, lived through the infamous fire, and then lived through the aftermath and went on to become an activist and public speaker for more stringent labor laws in the garment industry.
Event: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire รป Before the Fire
The old system of manufacturing clothing, such as shirtwaists, had been to send piecework out to families and individuals to do the sewing and be paid by the piece. The new system, however, located all the work under one roof where the different jobs were under the supervision of the factory owners. Occupations included pattern cutters, thread cleaners, machine operators, machinists, sleeve setters, as well as others. The shirtwaist was the style of blouse worn by the Gibson Girl type woman. According to Wikipedia, "The Gibson Girl per...