Workforce Collection (#2)

Chinese immigrants or Coolies arriving in San Francisco to work
PNP246763 Chinese immigrants or Coolies arriving in San Francisco to work on the transcontintental railroad during the 1860s (litho) by American School

Chinese labourers working on a trestle bridge on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada
PNP246760 Chinese labourers working on a trestle bridge on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, 1867 (b/w photo) by American Photographer

Cover design for The Ironmonger, 1911 (colour litho)
3638231 Cover design for The Ironmonger, 1911 (colour litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Cover design for The Ironmonger)

Cigarette Manufacturing, 1883 (engraving)
SLS251307 Cigarette Manufacturing, 1883 (engraving) by Upham, C. (fl.1883); Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University; eSchlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard; American

Men and women leaving the mill after work, carrying lunch-pails, 1868 (engraving)
SLS251301 Men and women leaving the mill after work, carrying lunch-pails, 1868 (engraving) by American School, (19th century); Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute

Soldier trainees work on "Flying Patch, "a Currtiss "Warhawk"
5895273 Soldier trainees work on " Flying Patch, " a Currtiss " Warhawk" fighter plane without engine or tail assembly, with simulated bullet holes and patches

Unidentified English engineering works, early 20th century (b / w photo)
3656152 Unidentified English engineering works, early 20th century (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Unidentified English engineering works)

Women making corsets, 1884 (engraving)
SLS251304 Women making corsets, 1884 (engraving) by American School, (19th century); Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University; eSchlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute

The American Waltham Watch Company, Massachusetts, 1885 (engraving) (see also 251194)
SLS251300 The American Waltham Watch Company, Massachusetts, 1885 (engraving) (see also 251194) by American School, (19th century); Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute

Unidentified English engineering works, early 20th century (b / w photo)
3656153 Unidentified English engineering works, early 20th century (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Unidentified English engineering works)

Women of Leningrads fire fighting service keep watch over their city during the Second World War. January 1943

Mr T. M. Watson, Chief Constable of Wallsall (wearing mac), leading his men in to the gas van during the Gas Drills at Walsall Fire station in preparation for a real attack. 29th October 1936

Additional filters for civilian respirators to increase their efficiency against smoke gases are now being fitted.Here is an Air Raid Precaution warden (ARP)

District Officer Coleman explaining the air raid precautions to the members of the Aston Hippodrome Company during their visit to the Central Fire Station in Birmingham

Picture shows the staff at fabric makers, Richardson, Tee, Rycroft and Co, in Portland Street, Manchester, as they prepare for the coronation of George VI

Directors and staff of D Berry & Co of Handsworth, pictured during their silver jubilee celebrations, 14th November 1991. In foreground from left Martin Berry - Director, Jim West - Director

Fifty men with a bottle of beer each to celebrate the lowering into position of the last concrete beam on stage five of Coventrys Inner Ring Road

Cotton farmer
UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1930s: African-American farmer standing in cart filled with cotton drawn by mules, Louisiana. (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Retrofile/Getty Images)

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CUBA, Vinales, Pinar del Rio, Portrait of tobacco farmer smoking cigar

Women working in a typing pool, 1900

Industrial relations, Swinton, South Yorkshire, 1966. Artist: Michael Walters
Industrial relations, Swinton, South Yorkshire, 1966. Photo for a press ad showing a selection of designers and tradesmen in white coats with shop floor workers to the rear

Factory girls decorating cheap pottery for the foreign markets, Kyoto, Japan, 1904. Artist: Underwood & Underwood
Factory girls decorating cheap pottery for the foreign markets, Kyoto, Japan, 1904. Stereoscopic card. Detail

Expert workmen creating designs in cloisonne, Kyoto, Japan, 1904. Artist: Underwood & Underwood
Expert workmen creating designs in cloisonne, Kyoto, Japan, 1904. Mr Namikawa in the background. Stereoscopic card. Detail

Munitions factory workers, London, World War I, 1914-1918. Artist: Haua
Munitions factory workers, London, World War I, 1914-1918. Group portrait of workers in a factory producing bombs. The photographers shadow can be seen in the foreground

Opencast mine, Korea, 1900

General Post Office, Lombard Street, London, 1808. Artist: Thomas Rowlandson
General Post Office, Lombard Street, London, 1808. This shows the scene in a busy letter sorting office. The dozens of sorters, each with his own dedicated position

Pen grinding room, Hanks, Wells & Cos factory, Birmingham, West Midlands, 1851. More than 50 women sit at individual grindstones finishing metal pen nibs

Strike, 1895. Artist: Mihaly Munkacsy
Strike, 1895

Huntley & Palmers Girls leaving work - Reading, Berkshire Date: 1906

Women working in Army Remount Depot by Cecil Aldin, WW1
Sketch by Cecil Aldin for his painting of women working at one of the Army Remount Depots under his command in Berkshire during the First World War

Dolly Goes Back to the Land, land girl, WW1
An attractive young woman posed with a spade on a farm, part of the female agricultural workforce during the First World War - though her outfit does not suggest shes a member of the Womens Land

Women workers WW1 - procession of homage at Palace
Nearly three thousand women workers representing practically every organised branch of womens labour during the First World War and wearing the uniforms of their corps and trades

Demobilisation - pivotal and slip men in Whitehall
Demobilised men at the Demobilisation Office in Whitehall waiting to get their papers. The group here are captioned as pivotal (the job creators)

Making of the clay dishes, 1827 (engraving)
XJF862554 Making of the clay dishes, 1827 (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Published in " A Representation of the Manufacturing of)

The Demonstration, 1905 (oil on canvas)
XIR190324 The Demonstration, 1905 (oil on canvas) by Steinlen, Theophile Alexandre (1859-1923); Musee des Beaux-Arts, Tourcoing, France; Swiss, out of copyright

Industrial dynamos, historical image C017 / 7872
Industrial dynamos. Historical image of a group of engineers and workers in front of an industrial-scale set of dynamos. Dynamos are devices that convert the power of rotary motion into electrical

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The history of the workforce is a tapestry woven with stories of struggle, resilience, and progress. From the Labour Union Poster depicting the Great London Dock Strike to the image of Soldiers without guns in 1944, these snapshots remind us of the power that lies within collective action. In 1833, a Stone Quarry came alive with vibrant colors in a lithograph capturing the toil and sweat of workers. Fast forward to 1854, Two Children in the Mines serve as haunting reminders of an era when child labor was prevalent and exploitation ran rampant. The year 1900 brings us W. H. Smith and son's dispatching newspapers - a testament to how technology revolutionized work processes. Meanwhile, on a Rubber Plantation in Malaysia, an Overseer stands alongside Coolies who tirelessly harvest rubber under harsh conditions. Site canteens become meeting places where workers gather for sustenance and camaraderie - JLP01_08_083797a, JLP01_08_083796, JLP01_08_083794 capture moments filled with laughter amidst hard work. A section of Hayes Engineering plant at Speke showcases industrial might while also reminding us that behind every machine are individuals whose thoughts may wander from time to time. Lastly, we glimpse into the life of a bleaching-powder packer through a black-and-white photograph showcasing their unique costume - highlighting diversity even within specific job roles. These images encapsulate different facets history – from battles fought for fair treatment to technological advancements shaping industries. They serve as poignant reminders that our present-day workplaces stand on foundations built by generations before us.