THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire_building.jpg

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was located at the corner of Greene Street and Washington Place in New York City in 1911.

WHAT IS A SHIRTWAIST?

“A popular fashion item of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the shirtwaist blouse was regarded as the model shirt for the independent, working woman. A button-down blouse, the functional shirtwaist was valued for its ready-to-wear, workplace appeal and its simple design, originally modeled on menswear shirts. It could be worn jacketless and fashionably tucked into the waistband of a skirt, and it was sold as both an individual piece and as an ensemble. By the early 20th century, designers added lace and frills to embellish the iconic blouse, which was already available in every color.”

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/triangle-shirtwaist/

OWNERS OF THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY

Max Blanck and

Isaac Harris

Photographer: unknown, ca. 1910 Kheel Center image identifier: 5780pbx39ff19http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/

WORKING CONDITIONSBlanck and Harris had five hundred workers

at the Washington Place location. Most were female immigrants from Russia, Italy and Germany who were as young as fourteen years old. The workers often spent eight to twelve hours a day and six days a week at the factory. Workers were paid different wages for the same work and they had no control over this.

Marsico, Katie. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: Its Legacy of Labor Rights. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2010. Print.

THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE

On Saturday, March 25, 1911, around 4:40 in the afternoon, a fire broke out on the ninth floor of the Triangle Waist Company which was located on the top three floors of the Asch Building in New York City. The possible cause of the fire was a cigarette that ignited remnants of cloth which were found everywhere in the factory. Within minutes, the ninth floor was consumed in flames and the employees struggled to exit the building. Only one exit was unlocked because the workers were checked to make sure that they were not stealing when it was time to go home. The elevator quickly became overloaded and the workers were trapped. The sprinkler systems were inadequate and the firefighters ladders could not reach the top floors. The fire was out in less than an hour, but 146 of the 500 employees lost their lives as a result of the.

Photographer: unknown, March 25, 1911 Kheel Center image identifier: 5780-087pb1f5c http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/

AFTER THE FIRE

There were 240 workers on the ninth floor that day. Their escape from the fire was blocked by sewing machines, 75-foot long tables, chairs, and work baskets. Photographer: Brown Brothers, 1911 Kheel Center image identifier: 5780Pb39f15g http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/

PLAN OF THE

NINTH FLOOR OF THE ASCH

BUILDINGPhotographer: Artist unknown, ca. 1911 Kheel Center image identifier: 5780-087b14 http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/

WHAT WENT WRONG ON THE NINTH FLOOR

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/supplemental/3Dmodel.html

Model of the ninth floor:

FIRE ESCAPE

This is a photograph of the fire escape attached to the building. The fire escape did not reach the ground and many employees were killed when the fire escape collapsed with the weight of the workers.

Photographer: unknown, 1911 Kheel Center image identifier: 5780pb39f15a

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/

RESPONSE TO THE FIREAfter the fire, the public response was intense. Workers

protested the conditions of the factory including that there were little precautions against fire and there were inadequate exits for employees.

Mourners carry a bunting-draped banner in the pouring rain during the six hour procession April 5, 1911 to honor victims of the Triangle fire. Photographer: New York Tribune, April 5, 1911 Kheel Center image identifier: 5780pb39f18c