People at Work and Play

Americans now have a wide array of choices, for both work and leisure. Women are playing an increasingly prominent role in America.

This is a first big step. It enables women to pursue their own dreams, independent of men, at least in theory. More is coming.
Women, 1890

  Women
At left, young ladies play the hankie game. In the center, Annie Oakley is a champion sharpshooter, and role model for countless young women. The bustled skirt is high fashion.

Laborers, 1890

  Laborers
Actually, they're not all working. The illustration at upper left depicts the Great Southwest Railroad Strike. The workman at right is pounding paving stones. In his straw hat.


The Fashionable Set, 1890

  The Fashionable Set
These are illustrations from a popular magazine. The caption for the scene at top left reads, 'Why do women with brains admire men who have none?' The scene at top right is a Christmas party.