JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post
Having a quick look at the jobs of Americans in 1880 (according to the Compendium of the U.S. Census, 1884) reveals a number of interesting things, not the least of which are the jobs lost to dust, replaced jobs of no-longer-applicable mass labor. Some of the jobs have obviously moved into niche/specialist markets (like the 45,000 harness and saddle makers kept busy in 1880 now moved into the luxury field), some changed their names (like carriage makers to automobile assembly) while the others have just moved on, entirely (like bleachers and bone workers). It would take decades for many of these occupations to finally succumb to change--slower in many ways than some jobs have disappeared from today's employment market.
The number/signifier following each position states the number of thousands of people employed in 1880.
See also earlier posts here An Alphabet of Occupations, 1850 and An Alphabet of Occupations 2, 1844]
Artificial feather makers 4k Bag makers1.4k. Basket makers 6k Belting makers 17k
Bleachers 8k
Bone workers 1.4k
Blacksmiths 172k
Box factory operatives 15k
Brass founders 8k
Brick and tile makers 36k (!)
Broom makers 8.7k
Button makers 4.8k
Canalmen 4.2k
Charcoal burners 5.5k
Clock maker and repair 13.8k
Coal sellers 10k
Coopers 49k
Commercial travellers 28k
Corset makers 4.6k Draymen, hackmen 177K Flax dressers 1.8k
File makers 1.8k
Galoon, gimp and tassel makers 20k
GLove makers 4.5k
Harness and Saddle makers 45k
Hucksters 53k Livery 45k
Ice dealers 2.3k
Launders and Laundresses 121k
Milkmen and milkwomen 9k Nail makers 5.8k Newspaper criers 3k Organ makers 2.4 Packers 4.1k
Pianoforte makers, 4.5k
Rag pickers 2.2k Sail makers 2.9k Salt makers 1.4k Scale and rule makers 1.0k
Showmen 2.6k
Starch makers 1.3k
Steam boiler makers 12.7k
Streetcar operators 11k Straw makers 4.2k
Tallow makers 2.9k Telegraph operators 28.1k (telephone workers 1.1k) Tinners 42k
Toolgate keepers 2.3k
Turpentine workers 7.4k
Weighers and gaugers 3.3k
Wheelwrights 15.3k
Whitewashers 3.3k
Woodchoppers 12k
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