Massachusetts was at the forefront of the industrial revolution. It was here that the textile and shoe making industries flourished during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Thousands of workers, including women and newly arrived immigrants flocked to the industrial centers, lured by the promise of jobs; jobs that were often difficult and dreary, but provided needed income and, for some, a measure of independence. From Wakefield to Westfield, from Lawrence to Leominster, from Hopedale to Holyoke and beyond, Massachusetts workers powered an array of industries, feeding their families and growing the local economy.
This exhibit honors the labor of the Massachusetts worker through a selection of images in the Digital Commonwealth.
Throughout the exhibit, you may click on any image to view it in larger format.
 In the rag room of a paper-making company, Holyoke, Mass.
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 “Working for victory,” the Lawrence CLU AFL marches in the annual Independence Day parade, 1942
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The Falco Brass band, the Farr Alpaca Company’s marching band at the Holyoke Independence Day parade, 1923