Labor | Page 17 | MNopedia

Strike at the WPA gravel pit project

Police, strikers, and workers at the Works Progress Administration gravel pit at Hidden Falls Park, July 1939.

Work Progress Administration sewing project strike, Minneapolis

Work Progress Administration (WPA) sewing project strike, Minneapolis, ca. 1939.

Works Progress Administration Strikes, 1939

In the summer of 1939, workers went on strike across the nation to protest budget cuts to the Works Progress Administration imposed by the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act. While they did not bring about the act’s repeal, they kept their jobs and were allowed to return to work after the strike. Minnesota was the only state in which strikers faced criminal charges for preventing people from working.

Gown with bustle and train

Two- toned blue and teal taffeta bustled and trained silk gown attributed to Mary G. Worley, a dressmaker in St. Paul, Minnesota, ca. 1875.

Wedding gown

Silk taffeta wedding gown, Lina Christianson, 1880.

Net and Satin Dress

Sequined net and satin dress attributed to Hattie H. McGahn, 1918–1923.

Bodice

Chiffon bodice with lace made by Caroline Mundahl, 1915–1917

Rose Crelley Boyd

Rose Boyd operated the largest dressmaking business in Minneapolis between 1886 and 1917, employing between 40–100 seamstresses, fitters, designers and tailors and creating gowns for Minnesota's fashion elite.

Satin gown

Brocaded satin gown. Made by dressmaker Elizabeth Elser, Minneapolis, Minnesota, ca. 1911–1914.

Evening gown

Debutante's floor-length evening gown with short train. White net studded with glass beads over grayish pink silk crepe chiffon over pale yellowish pink silk taffeta. Made by Helen Gjertsen, Dayton's Department store dressmaker, Minneapolis, Minnesota, ca. 1912.

Gale Family Library