Exhibitions

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A History of American Sweatshops, 1820-Present

April 22, 1998 – December 10, 1998

National Museum of American History
1300 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC

1st Floor, Taylor Gallery

See on Map Floor Plan

Some 100 objects and graphics examine the history of sweatshops in the United States and the complex factors that contribute to their existence. Artifacts on display include photographs of sweatshops from 1900 to the present; early and modern sewing machines; photographs of the tragic 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Co. fire in New York City; and a re-created sweatshop in an El Monte, California, apartment complex raided in August 1995. The exhibition concludes with information on how affordable garments are being made in the non-sweatshop conditions in the United States.