the interpretive brochure

LONDON WORKS:
Labouring in the Forest City
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London Street Railway repair shop, 1907. During London’s period of industrialization, items that were not mass produced in factories were handcrafted
by skilled workers. These workers are smithing parts for London’s early streetcars. Courtesy of Western Archives, Western University.
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Foreword
Each year, the Public History Master’s Program at Western University partners
with a community cultural or heritage organization. Because public history is how
history is understood by and communicated to the public, student opportunities to
participate in real world projects are key to our program. We have a long history of
collaborating with and learning from Museum London staff, and this year we are
extremely pleased to present London Works: Labouring in the Forest City.
Guided by museum staff, the ten students researched labour and work in London,
selected all artifacts and photographs, wrote the text and brochure, designed the
layout, interviewed local workers, produced educational and public programming
activities, and publicized the exhibition through social media. Highlighting themes
of industrialization, professionalism, and gender, the students have chosen objects
that explore the development of factories, women’s and children’s labour at home
and in workplace, unions, strikes and unemployment, and medicine, law, and the
role of Western in educating professionals. Living in a city which has suffered
recent economic decline and struggles to keep young people here, Londoners will
find that these historical themes still have relevance today. We hope that
Londoners will make connections between the objects on display and their own
experiences.
From Museum London, we would like to thank Melanie Townsend, Kevin Zacher,
Matt Thomas, Ross Bell, Dianne Pearce, Lisa Di Lullo, Robert Ballantine, and
former staff Maya Hirschman and Mike Baker. We are indebted to Steve Mavers,
Curator of Education, who initiated the project and has generously contributed his
time and expertise to make this exhibition both a success and a valuable learning
experience. Many others helped us along the way, including Theresa Regnier, Tom
Belton, Bev Brereton, and Barry Arnott from Western Archives and Arthur
McClelland of the London Room of the London Public Library who assisted our
research; the Special Collections of the Hamilton Public Library, London Life
Corporate Archives and The Memory Project for use of photographs; Bill Turkel and
Devon Elliott from Western University who provided technological assistance; and
Susan Ruth, Jay Menard, and Tim Carrie and Brandi Damm of Canadian Auto
Workers Local 27, who graciously allowed us to interview them about their
experiences highlighted in the accompanying exhibition video.
Professor Michelle A. Hamilton
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McCormick soda biscuits box, late-nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. McCormick biscuit boxes were made of tin before the invention of cardboard.
Established in London in 1854, the business produced biscuits and confectionary goods. Its newly built factory in 1914 became iconic in the city and
employed thousands of Londoners. Collection of Museum London
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Factory Work
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, London's widespread
industrialization brought significant social change to the City. While factories
became larger and increasingly productive over time, not all parts of London’s
society benefitted equally from the City’s industrial growth.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, family-run operations produced small
quantities of goods for London consumers, but by the 1850s, factories were starting
to mass produce goods for the local market. Thomas Carling and John Labatt
established breweries in the 1840s, selling to residents and the military garrison.
John McClary and his brother Oliver partnered in a tinsmithing business in 1851,
selling pots door-to-door. Catering to London’s sweet tooth, Thomas McCormick
started a small cookie and candy shop in 1854, and Daniel Perrin did the same in
1863.
The oil industry experienced a spectacular boom and bust in this early period. Oil
discovered in Lambton County (just west of London) brought a large wave of oil
refiners to London East, led by William Spencer and Herman Waterman, who set up
the first refineries in 1863. Attracted by the oil boom, hundreds flocked to London
East, but overproduction and economic depression resulted in a market crash by the
end of the 1870s.
The coming of the railway and electrification marked the next stage in London’s
industrial growth. Although the City’s first train brought change in 1853, it was not
until 1882, when the Grand Trunk Railway was established, that industries really
expanded. The Grand Trunk connected most of Southern Ontario and parts of the
U.S.A., opening new markets for goods manufactured in London. The Canadian
Pacific Railway expanded into London in 1887, allowing London’s growing factories
to ship their products from Vancouver to Halifax.
The introduction of electricity to London was also significant. The first electric
companies emerged in the 1880s, but high prices limited its adoption. Cheap
electricity became widely available in 1910, when London connected to the Niagara
hydro system. Industries were eager to transition, and electric power quickly had
factories producing more for less.
However, with lower costs, increased production capabilities, and access to wider
markets, larger-scale manufacturers edged out or absorbed many smaller local
businesses. McCormick, for example, had great success, building its large state-ofthe-art factory in 1914 and absorbing its rival the Canadian Biscuit Company
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(formerly D.S. Perrin & Co.), in 1926. In 1914, Carling’s four-acre factory was also
testament to its success, but prohibition and wartime restrictions caused a
decrease in the demand for beer. Carling was acquired by Canadian Breweries
Ltd. in 1930 and its operations later moved to Waterloo. In contrast, Labatt
Breweries weathered prohibition and wartime restrictions with good
management and marketing strategies, and achieved significant growth after
becoming a publically traded company in 1945.
London’s cigar-making industry, started by German immigrants in the 1860s,
also profited from industrialization. By the 1880s the railroad allowed London
factories to meet Canada’s demand for tobacco. In the 1910s cigar making was
London’s largest industry, with more than twenty manufacturers employing two
thousand workers in factories, producing eighty million cigars a year.
Even the oil industry that had declined in the 1870s saw amazing growth in the
twentieth century. In 1923, John Gordon Thompson and J.D. Good established
their first gas service centre at 326 Dundas Street. Later called Supertest
Petroleum Co. Ltd., it sourced its oil from regional operations. By 1936, Supertest
had grown to own and operate 342 service stations in Ontario and Quebec.
Some of London’s businesses experienced international growth during this
period. By 1925, the McClary Manufacturing Company was producing stoves and
house wares for distribution all around the world, shipping items to England,
Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. Labatt also gained international
recognition for the quality of its India Pale Ale. Following London’s far-reaching
growth and industrial success, American investment came north. The early
twentieth century saw big American names in hosiery, such as Penman and
Holeproof, establishing their Canadian headquarters in London.
The McClary Manufacturing Company gained
fame for the stoves and house wares it
made. This 1920s oil heater burned
kerosene from a tank, making it easy to
move around the house.
Collection of Museum London
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However, despite the impressive growth of many of these manufacturers, some
smaller family-run operations continued to service more local needs.
Established in 1906, W. A. Jenkins’s Royal Purple brand sold food additives and
medicines for livestock, serving the needs of farmers across Southwestern
Ontario. Smaller yet, the Miller Bros. Tinsmithing shop, established in 1919,
made handcrafted building materials, pots, and accessories for London’s local
residents.
The industrialization of London brought economic success to the City, but also
caused social unrest. The new factories hired thousands of workers, many of
them from the countryside, who had come to London looking for steady and wellpaying jobs. However, the reality was that factories offered low wages,
demanded long hours, and exposed workers to dangerous machinery.
As a result, many industrial workers decided to organize themselves through
labour unions. These kinds of activities were illegal until 1872, but this did not
stop London's workers. In the 1850s, the first local labour unions appeared with
This 1898 edition of The Industrial Banner, Canada’s longest running union publication, celebrates the victory of a London Street Railway workers strike.
Courtesy of Western Archives, Western University
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Child workers outside Tuckett Tobacco Company, Hamilton, Ontario, c. 1900. Children were employed in many early factories.
Photo courtesy of Local History & Archives, Hamilton Public Library.
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the establishment of the Iron Moulders Union and the
Typographical Union. Over the next several decades dozens
more appeared, including international groups such as the
Cigar Makers’ International Union, the Noble and Holy Order
of the Knights of Labor, and the Brotherhood of Railroad
Trainmen. Primarily, these organizations aimed to increase
workers’ pay, reduce their twelve to fifteen hour work days
to eight or nine, and advocated for safety in the industrial
workplace. Many also advocated for the establishment of
social protection in the case of sickness, accident,
unemployment, or even death.
The wives, daughters, sisters, and mothers of unionized
workers often organized ladies’ auxiliaries to promote the
welfare of workers and their families. However, these
women were not workers. Local labour unions did not
generally admit working women, even if they represented a
large portion of the industrial force. Towards the end of the
nineteenth century and into the twentieth century hundreds
of women worked in factories, particularly in the biscuitmaking and textile industries. Even if they were paid lower
wages than men, women still came in large numbers to
London to contribute to their families or support their
independence.
Children often worked alongside women as unskilled
labour, but were paid far less than their adult coworkers. In
factories, they were favoured for their small hands and
ability to reach places in the machinery, which adults could
not. It was not until 1921 that laws made it illegal to employ
children under the age of fourteen.
The adoption of electricity and the coming of the railroad
helped small-scale manufacturers increase production and
find new markets. Industries succeeded, merged, and fell as
manufacturers adapted to the many changes witnessed
during industrialization. In this historical period, London’s
workers also fought for fairness in their workplace and
society. Today, conditions in the workplace have improved,
but London’s industries and workers continue to adapt to
the new challenge of globalization.
William Ward and Co. employees in front of the factory, 64 Dundas
Street, c. 1905. Collection of Museum London
A large number of cigar workers were women. By 1901, the
provincial ratio was one women for every two men, and of the 1800
cigar and cigarette makers in Ontario that year, 40% worked in
London.
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Some members of the classes of 1906, 1907 and 1908 with Dr. Hadley Williams (wearing the felt hat) on the front steps
of the medical school, York and Waterloo Streets. Courtesy of Western Archives, Western University
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Professional Work
Workers in the upper classes were represented by a variety of professions, including
politicians, lawyers, doctors, and insurance agents. The commercial success of
London’s businesses and relative affluence made it a hub for insurance, medicine,
and law in Ontario. The establishment of Western University in 1878 also meant that
Londoners could be educated for professional careers and remain in the city to
practice. The lifestyles and privileged positions of the professional class were often
supported through the labour of the working class.
Henry Corry Rowley Becher was a notable lawyer who studied and practiced in the
City. Becher and his family immigrated to Canada from the United Kingdom in 1835
and quickly became one of the most distinguished families in Middlesex County.
Henry C. R. Becher was a prominent jury lawyer, working with important clients such
as the Great Western Railway. He also attempted a political career but his ambitions
were thwarted when local newspapers criticized the management of the ball he held
to honour the Prince of Wales during his royal visit in 1860. Despite this, his success
in the legal field resulted in the Bechers becoming one of the most well-known and
wealthy London families. H.C. R. Becher’s grandson, Henry, trained in law under his
father and grandfather, and left an even deeper mark on the City as mayor in 1885.
Because of the Western Law School which opened in 1881, London saw the start of
the careers of many other prominent lawyers. Notably, the first male and female
Indigenous lawyers in Canada graduated from Western; Norman Lickers attended
the university in the late 1930s, and Roberta Jamieson in the 1970s. Both became
very well known for their contributions to First Nations rights and Canadian law.
London and Western also hold a reputation for medical and scientific advancements,
such as Dr. Frederick Banting’s work in the discovery of insulin as a treatment for
diabetes. Trained as an orthopedic doctor, Banting was teaching a lecture on the
pancreas at Western’s medical school in October of 1921, a topic he knew little
about. After researching for his lecture, he awoke suddenly one night with the idea
for insulin to treat diabetes. The development of insulin took place at the University
of Toronto, but he always accredited his idea to living and working in London. This
development changed the face of diabetes.
Another famous doctor, Dr. Carol Whitlow Buck, graduated from Western’s medical
school in 1947. Living in London until her death in 2004, she practiced medicine at a
time when men dominated the profession. She became the first woman to obtain a
full professorship at Western in 1962 and became the Department Head of
Community Medicine in 1967.
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Medical advancements also extended into the realm of psychiatric medicine. Dr
Richard Maurice Bucke grew up in London and became the superintendent of the
London Asylum for the Insane from 1877-1902. While some of his methods were
controversial, he instigated many changes to the treatment of mental health
patients, such as eliminating the use of alcohol. He also reduced the practice of
restraint treatment for the mentally insane and encouraged patients to work at
the hospital, developing the concept of occupational therapy.
The insurance industry continues to be an important source of employment in
London today. Historically, executives and agents of insurance companies, such
as insurance agents J.H. Warburton and G.M. Gunn, both of whom owned their
own business, were part of the elite class that enjoyed the luxurious lifestyle of
London’s professionals. Among the dozens of successful agencies in the City, the
London Life Insurance Company, created in 1874, rapidly grew into one of the
most lucrative insurance businesses in Canada. With its expansion in the early
1900s, it became a national employer, operating numerous well-known
companies across the country, such as Great-West Life Insurance and Canada
Life Insurance.
Both the Carling and Labatt families started breweries in London during the
nineteenth century, accumulating great wealth and high standing in politics and
society. The Labatt family not only contributed to the local economy through its
brewing operations and mass employment of Londoners, but also made
philanthropic donations to the community. Their charitable recipients included
the London Asylum for the Insane and Western University. Also a large employer
in the City, Carling has been a prominent London name since 1818. John Carling
(1828-1911) held a number of impressive positions, such as director of the Great
Western Railway in the 1870s, Canadian Minister of Agriculture (1885-1892), and
cabinet member under Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald in the 1890s.
Dr. Carol Whitlow Buck, ca. 1950s
Courtesy of Western Archives, Western
University
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London also has a rich military history and high ranking members were often
included in London’s elite. In the 1830s, London became an imperial military post
which helped develop the economy of the town, employing nearly half its
population. Over the 19th century, there continued to be a strong military
presence in London, centred around the Wolseley Barracks which were built in
the 1880s just outside of the city. The Infantry School Corps opened at the
Barracks in the 1880s, later becoming the Royal Canadian Regiment. London has
also been the home to the 1st and 2nd Battalions, the Regimental Headquarters,
and is home to the 4th Battalion today. The Royal Canadian Regiment participated
in both World Wars, and was awarded a Victoria Cross in WWI, and twenty-eight
battle honours for its participation in WWII. With its headquarters located in
London, the RCR employed both young soldiers and older colonels during
wartime. The role of the military in London still exists today since the company
General Dynamics Land Systems is the primary producer of the Generation III Light
Armoured Vehicle (LAV), the main mechanized infantry of the Canadian Army.
Executive members outside the London Life Insurance Company, 1926. Courtesy of London-Life Corporate Archives
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People playing croquet at London Asylum for the Insane c. 1900. Cairncross Collection, Courtesy of the London Public Library
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Outside of the workplace, wealthy families participated in a
number of associations and activities only available to the
upper class. To showcase their status, the elite population
followed certain dress codes. Rich women wore lavish
dresses with tight corsets, elaborate brooches, and hats
and hatpins. Male fashion included three-piece suits and
high-collared shirts, adorned with a gold pocket-watch,
cufflinks and a hat crafted and custom-made for the owner.
Once dressed, London’s gentlemen gathered at places such
as the London Club Association and the London Hunt Club,
which were private and only accessible to the upper class.
Most prominent men desired to be members of private
clubs, but only those nominated by existing members could
join. The exclusive nature of these clubs perpetuated the
status and division of the elite. Private clubs also provided
opportunities for the upper class to participate in sport and
leisure activities only they could afford because of their
abundance of money and free time. Elite pastimes included
croquet, lawn bowling, cricket, golf and hunting. These
activities were accompanied by expensive vices such as
smoking cigars and drinking fancy liquors from lavish
decanters.
London’s professional class influenced the growth of
London in the past and laid the groundwork for the City as it
is today. Professional employment and education,
previously exclusive to the wealthy and elite population, are
now open to a broader range of backgrounds and social
classes.
Unidentified London woman, circa 1884-1885. Photo by Frank Cooper.
Courtesy of the London Public Library
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Girls at Covent Garden Market, London, Ontario, 1912. Collection of Museum London
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Women’s Work
Labour is typically regarded as paid work outside the home in factories, businesses,
or trades, but the unpaid work done by women inside and outside of the home has
played an important role in London’s development. Women in London have raised
children, prepared food, cleaned, made clothing, and acted as domestic workers for
other families.
Due to their shared duties and responsibilities, women tended to congregate in areas
of the city where they would socialize while buying groceries or running errands.
After its opening in 1835, Covent Garden Market in London became a hub of social
activity and labour interactions for women performing duties for their families, and
remained so into the mid-twentieth century. Carrie Laird, a young London girl, often
referred to her trips to the market in her diary:
“Saturday, April 2, 1887, Fine day. Lizzie and Ma went to market after dinner
as we had an early dinner. Not many eggs, not nearly as many as last
Saturday. Paid 12 ½ c. Got eggs for Easter…”
Diaries of Carrie Laird, Courtesy of Western Archives,
Western University
The long list of household duties performed by women included keeping their
families fed, dressed and clean. These roles were not only for wives and mothers;
daughters played an important part in the family economy. Knowing how to properly
manage a homemade young women more desirable as future wives; therefore,
young women before marriage were expected to earn wages and contribute to the
running of their family home in preparation for their future husbands. This work
involved taking care of siblings and parents when necessary, quilting, running
errands, cleaning, and sewing clothing. Carrie Laird describes her typical day:
“February 10, 1887, Pa in bed all day but feeling better. His heart not trouble
him at all. A story, ‘Little Lord Fauntleroy’ by Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett
started in Guardian today. Swept and dusted hall, kitchen, and my room.
Finished crocheting for bottom of apron but never touched crazy work today.”
Diaries of Carrie Laird, Courtesy of Western Archives,
Western University
In London, as in other urban centres, many women worked as dressmakers or
teachers. This work was often seen as temporary employment; married women
who continued to work outside of the home aroused the suspicion that their
husband could not fulfill his role as breadwinner. Ada Read, a London dressmaker,
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worked only until a few months before her marriage to Rowland Hill, a
prominent London shoemaker.
“April 22, 1893, This has been Ada’s last day at the dress-making
business. For the most part of the next ten weeks she will be at home
helping and being helped by her mother.”
Diaries of Rowland Hill, Courtesy of Western University,
Archives and Research Collections Centre
Gasoline-fired Iron.
Collection of Museum London
Not all women were allowed the luxury of leaving work to prepare their ideal
home, rather, most working class women and young female immigrants had to
enter domestic service as an employment option. Middle and upper class
families in London were able to afford to pay for domestic help, and these
workers assisted with the heavy burden of household duties. This type of
employment saw an increase after 1871, when the province of Ontario began to
implement attendance regulations at school. Wives and mothers gradually lost
the help of their young children in carrying out everyday tasks and had to turn to
hired domestic help in order to make sure all household errands could be
completed. Luckily, an increase in disposable income due to industrialization and
union bargaining made this possible without stretching household budgets too
far.
The daily work of a domestic servant was not easy; before the introduction of
electricity into homes, all labour was primarily manual. From lifting a heavy
gasoline-fired iron to beating a rug, work in the house required a strong arm.
Clothes were washed by hand and butter was made from cream using a handcranked churn. This work had to be completed along with basic cleaning tasks
and preparing meals for the family. Despite the difficulties associated
with domestic service, it remained a popular form of employment into the
twentieth century. In 1901, 38% of all women in Canada with paid jobs were
domestic servants. As businesses continued to grow and factories developed in
London, domestic service work continued to attract more women than the
manufacturing sector, particularly among recent immigrants.
Early Electric Toaster.
Collection of Museum London
Expansion of the manufacturing industry during the first fifty years of the
twentieth century greatly changed the economic structure of London. More
women, including recent immigrants, were able to choose their employment.
With the sudden flow of men from Canada to Europe during the First World War,
many workplaces previously closed to women suddenly opened up to them.
Interest in domestic service declined as job opportunities in factories, offices, or
shops became acceptable options for women. This change in the workforce
meant that many women found themselves taking on the role of an unpaid
housewife as time progressed.
The introduction of electricity into the home beginning in the 1920s changed the
daily lives of housewives. Inventions such as the electric toaster made simple
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FURTHER READING
Baker, Michael and Hilary Bates Neary.
100 Fascinating Londoners. James Lorimer
& Company Ltd Publishers, Toronto, 2005.
Baker, Michael, ed. Downtown London:
Layers of Time. London: The City of London
and London Regional Art and Historical
Museums, 2000.
Campbell, Cl. T. MD. Pioneer Days in
London: Some account of men and things in
London before it became a city. Advertiser
Job Printing Company, London, Canada,
1921.
Gidney, R.D. and W.P.J. Millar. Professional
Gentlemen: The Professions in Nineteenth
Century Ontario. Toronto: University of
Toronto Press, 1994.
Hydro Display, 1915 Labour Day Parade.
Courtesy of Western Archives, Western University
tasks much easier and altered the nature of housework. Over the course of the
century women gained access to electric appliances such as sewing machines,
refrigerators, automatic washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and heaters. While
earlier versions of these products had existed since the nineteenth century, the
updated electric versions cut down the amount of time and labour that women
devoted to household tasks. For example, electric refrigerators kept food fresh
longer than old fashioned ice boxes; this meant that grocery shopping could be
done less frequently, resulting in saved time and money. This change made it
easier for women to manage their household and family at the same time
without having to rely on hired help.
The excitement over the introduction of electricity into the home caused a flurry
of advertisements aimed towards women. Women were encouraged to “Cook by
Hydro” and purchase the latest appliances. Realizing the significant role that
women played in family purchases, companies targeted female consumers with
eye-catching ads and snappy slogans. Advertisements aimed towards upper
class women included luxury goods that they could easily afford. For middle
class women, companies promoted practical items for everyday use that would
lighten their workload. By the middle of the twentieth century women had
abandoned their carpet sweepers for vacuums, their washing boards for electric
washing machines, and hand-cranked egg-beaters for electric mixers.
Giles, Wenona and Sedaf Arat-Koç, ed.
Maid in the Market: Women’s Paid Domestic
Labour. Halifax: Fernwood Publishing,
1994.
Janovicek, Nancy and Joy Parr, ed.
Histories of Canadian Children and Youth.
Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University
Press, 2003.
Morton, Desmond. Working People: An
Illustrated History of the Canadian Labour
Movement, 4th Ed. Montreal: McGillQueen’s Press, 1999.
Noon, Alan. East of Adelaide: Photographs
of commercial, industrial, and workingclass urban Ontario 1905-1930. London:
Shelby Young Printing, 1989.
Tilly, Louise A. and Joan W. Scott. Women,
Work, and Family. New York: Holt
Rhinehard and Winston, 1978.
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Credits
LONDON WORKS: Labouring in the Forest City
February 23 - September 22, 2013
Museum London
Guest Curators
Jesika Arseneau
Raiza Báez Calderón
Vanessa Dal Bello
Jasmine Fong
Erica Gagnon
Charlotte Hall-Coates
Paulina Johnson
Shane Pacey
Jenifer Sguigna
Caileen Weitz
Director of MA Public History Program, Western University
Michelle A. Hamilton, PhD
Curatorial Coordinator
Steve Mavers, Curator of Education
Designer
Robert Ballantine
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation.
Cover: Hosiery mill, 1914. Women represented the majority of the workforce in London’s textile industry, tied as it was to their
traditionally domestic roles. The mechanical circular knitting machines these women are using made tubular items, like socks and
stockings. Courtesy of Western Archives, Western University.
ISBN: 978-1-897215-40-1
421 Ridout Street North, London, Ontario
519.661.0333 • museumlondon.ca
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