Framed or unframed, desk size to sofa size, printed by us in Arizona and Alabama since 2007. Explore now.
Shorpy is funded by you. Patreon contributors get an ad-free experience.
Learn more.
November 1909. "Night scene in Cumberland Glass Works, Bridgeton, N.J." Making bottles one at a time. Glass negative by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
Aside from plumbing and electrical, this could be a scene from some middle ages manufactory.
I will remember this photo the next time I start to complain about my job. I can't begin to imagine how hot and miserable it must be in there!
...appears to have made bottles for Bromo Seltzer and Coca Cola among many others, says this history of the firm from the 'Society for Historical Archaeology' site.
Holding the mold handles as heated glass formed and cooled, a lot of stooping and bending. You could breathe in the fine glass particles from the air, called blow over.
Looks like they drop more than they make.
In contrast to some of the neat and organized factory floors seen on Shorpy, this place looks like a chaotic mess. The floor is filthy, the fixtures look like they were cobbled together with scrap wood (they probably were), and the workers look to be practically tripping over each other. It was probably hot as hell too, despite the low-hanging ceiling fans.
On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5