March 30, 2011 | Sheila Foran - UConn Communications

All in a Day’s Work

Photographs of Women in Connecticut Industry is the first in a series of traveling displays sponsored by the UConn Libraries.

<p>The Cheney Company, established in 1838 in Manchester, Conn., grew into the country's most profitable silk manufacturer by the 1880s. This photo, taken around 1925, shows a female worker at the massive textile production machinery housed in the mills. Photo courtesy of the Dodd Center</p>
The Cheney Co., established in 1838 in Manchester, Conn., grew into the country's most profitable silk manufacturer by the 1880s. This photo, taken around 1925, shows a female worker at the massive textile production machinery housed in the mills. Photos courtesy of the Dodd Center

Photographs of Women in Connecticut Industry, the first in a series of traveling displays sponsored by the Homer Babbidge Library and the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, has been on exhibit at the Waterbury Campus during the month of March. The images come from the Business & History collection at the Dodd Center.

Starting April 14, the exhibit will move to the Avery Point Campus. At each location, the photographs are serving as the catalyst for further discussion.

In Waterbury, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI at UConn) is presenting a program on Thursday, March 31 as part of its celebration of Women’s History Month.  A round table panel discussion, moderated by associate professor of history Judith P. Meyer, will explore the long and rich history of women as workers in Connecticut.

At Avery Point, the exhibit is central to a symposium called “Industrial Epilogues,” which is sponsored by the Avery Point Learning Community, a group of faculty and students engaged in making connections across disciplines. The event will be held on April 14 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

<p>This photograph shows women workers, likely recent immigrants to Conn., in 1899 in the Insulating Department of the Wire Mills of the Ansonia Copper and Brass Company, which merged with the American Brass Company later that year. Photo courtesy of the Dodd Center </p>
This photograph shows female workers, likely recent immigrants to Connecticut, in 1899 in the Insulating Department of the Wire Mills of the Ansonia Copper and Brass Co., which merged with the American Brass Co. later that year.
<p>Connecticut was a leader in the brass industry in the late 19th century and by the 1880s about 90% of all rolled brass was manufactured in the state's Naugatuck Valley. The American Brass Company was formed in 1899 from the consolidation of several smaller companies. Photo courtesy of the Dodd Center </p>
Connecticut was a leader in the brass industry in the late 19th century and by the 1880s about 90 percent of all rolled brass was manufactured in the state's Naugatuck Valley. The American Brass Co. was formed in 1899 from the consolidation of several smaller companies.
<p>A female worker in the 1950s on the assembly line of the American Thermous Bottle Company. The American Thermos Bottle Company manufactured vacuum-insulated bottles and lunch kits in Norwish and Taftville from 1912 to the mid-1980s. Photo courtesy of the Dodd Center </p>
A female worker in the 1950s on the assembly line of the American Thermos Bottle Co. The company manufactured vacuum-insulated bottles and lunch kits in Norwich and Taftville from 1912 to the mid-1980s.