Pilgrim Laundry

[Female Laundry workers at Pilgrim Laundry], ca 1910, V1989.3.1; Pilgrim Laundry photographs, v1989.003; Brooklyn Historical Society.

The photo of the week comes from the newly processed Pilgrim Laundry collection. Pictured above is one of the six black and white interior photographs from the collection. In this photograph, female workers are displayed using laundry machinery around 1910.

Pilgrim laundry was a laundry facility located in the Windsor Terrace neighborhood of Brooklyn and first opened its doors in 1894. The owners set out to open a laundry business founded on the belief that if employees were given fair labor standards, the business would flourish. This method proved successful for Pilgrim Laundry. While the original facility burned in 1910, a new facility opened in 1913 that featured recreation facilities for employees, as well as a vacation clubhouse. In 1921, the company allowed employees to buy stock, and by the 1950s, Pilgrim Laundry was completely employee owned. Unfortunately, however, Pilgrim Laundry was later acquired by a new firm and while under new ownership, they went out of business in the 1960s.

Early laundry businesses were one of the first industries to hire predominately women. Married women with children were attracted to this line of work because they could perform paid work, while also fulfilling responsibilities like childcare. The industry was also characterized by long hours and low pay, which makes Pilgrim Laundry’s approach to labor particularly noteworthy.

To learn more about the history of Pilgrim Laundry, be sure to check out the finding aid for the collection. This collection is newly processed and can now be accessed online here.

Interested in seeing more photos from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images. Interested in seeing even more historic Brooklyn images? Visit our Brooklyn Visual Heritage website here. To search BHS’s entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections visit BHS’s Othmer Library Wed-Sat, 1:00-5:00 p.m. photos@brooklynhistory.org