Labor Day 2023: Historic Photographs of People Working, from the Joseph J. Pennell Collection
On June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed the bill that designated the first Monday of September as a day to celebrate the workers of America known as Labor Day. Below are photographs selected from the Joseph J. Pennell Collection that feature workers in various occupations.
From the 1890s to the 1920s, Joseph J. Pennell photographed life in Junction City, Kansas, and the nearby Army base, Fort Riley. It is my belief that the strength of the collection is that Pennell wasn’t content to just stay in his studio, taking portrait photography. He went out into the community to photograph its people, businesses, activities, groups, and families. And Pennell was inclusive of community members from diverse groups, revealing a more complete representation of Junction City history. Because of his work, we are provided with a comprehensive view of life in a moderately-sized Midwestern army-post town on the Great Plains at the turn of the century.
Please enjoy this sample from the collection and visit Kenneth Spencer Research Library’s website to see more.
![Black-and-white photograph of men and women](https://blogs.lib.ku.edu/spencer/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ku-pennell_832_JPG.jpg)
![Black-and-white photograph of men standing with large machinery in an open-air underground area lined with bricks.](https://blogs.lib.ku.edu/spencer/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ku-pennell_3491_JPG.jpg)
![Black-and-white photograph of a crowded shop. Six boys and young men work on shoes: four stand and two sit on a bench.](https://blogs.lib.ku.edu/spencer/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ku-pennell_4352_JPG.jpg)
![Black-and-white photograph of men, horses, and mules standing across a dirt road with trees on the left and fields on the right.](https://blogs.lib.ku.edu/spencer/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ku-pennell_3689_JPG.jpg)
![Black-and-white photograph of seven men standing in a row in front of a building. Five are dressed in chef's whites, and three are wearing hats.](https://blogs.lib.ku.edu/spencer/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ku-pennell_905_JPG.jpg)
![Black-and-white photograph of two young women sitting at a large switchboard.](https://blogs.lib.ku.edu/spencer/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ku-pennell_1090_JPG.jpg)
![Blac-and-white photograph of two African American men in hats, long-sleeve shirts, and overalls. One is standing and one is sitting; they are in a studio in front of a backdrop.](https://blogs.lib.ku.edu/spencer/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/ku-pennell_4457_JPG.jpg)
Kathy Lafferty
Public Services
Tags: Joseph Judd Pennell, Junction City KS, Kansas Collection, Kathy Lafferty, Labor Day, Pennell Photography Collection, photographs