On the Job - Breaks

An ad for Holeproof Hosiery that was published in 1922 and was created by artist Coles Phillips. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "Holeproof hosiery" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed August 8, 2022. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-2643-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Typically, women working in hosiery factories worked long days – with shifts ranging from eight hours to ten hours. These could be morning shifts, full-day shifts, afternoon/evening shifts and even over-nights. Breaks throughout the shift varied depending on the factory and the years that one worked. Across the board however, these breaks were a brief respite from the noise and the hard labour.