In honor of Labor Day this month, the museum would like to recognize and honor the hard work and dedication of the mill workers of the late nineteenth and twentieth  centuries. These three undated photographs show mill workers at different parts of the textile making process.

– Two workers are sewing Jacquard cards together, which will then be fed into the loom. These perforated cards act as a code to guide the pattern of the looming. Where there are holes in the card, the needle will push down into the material.

– A worker examines cotton. He pulls the cotton out of the large barrels and guides it into the loom, making sure that it does not get tangled in the process.

– After the textiles are finished, they must be inspected. The two workers check the product, making sure that the
pattern turned out as intended and that no fibers are out of place. If there is a mistake, they can correct it with the picks they hold in their right hands.