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January 31, 1917. "Stamping labels. Boston Index Card Co., 113 Purchase Street." Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
Frankly, I'm so used to the unattractive "beauties" on this site, that to see a genuinely pretty woman is quite shocking. Sadly, it seems she is already taken.
This building was replaced by the Central Artery "Green Monster," which was subsequently removed as part of the "Big Dig" project.
That doesn't look like an incandescent-bulb fixture. I'm certain that's a gaslight. In which case, when you take away the effect of the photographer's flash, that must have been a pretty dim work environment.
I can't tell exactly where the belt goes but the machine looks to be a saddle stitcher with a spool of wire, to insert staples into the fold of a magazine or any other high-volume stapling job.
Any idea what the belt-powered gizmo in the background is?
No matter how humble the machine might be, I find it fascinating that everything seemed to have ornamentation of some sort and this stamper is no exception. Just think of your grandmother's (or GGM's) sewing machine. There was scrollwork all over it. Kind of a shame to lose that.
I can't imagine how awfully boring this job would be. And no piped in elevator muzak to break the monotony.
"Boss says if I get these 90,000 labels stamped he'll let me transfer to the fingerprint department!"
Maybe this is where Aretha Franklin got her idea for her hat for the inauguration.
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