Post-card Photograph of Four Friends

This post-card photograph features four women in a field wearing shirtwaists and dark skirts. Shirtwaists were new in the 1890s, and women wore them for many occasions, including sport activities. Many American factories manufactured shirtwaists for the burgeoning ready-to-wear market, which made them inexpensive. One factory in Manhattan, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, experienced a terrible fire in 1911 that killed 146 workers.

An additional photograph of these four women, clearly taken the same day, is included.

Photograph on post card, 1890s