Woman Who Toils

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Bessie (Mrs. John) Van Vorst and her sister-in-law Marie Van Vorst were both from New York’s privileged class at the turn of the 20th century. The pair worked for several months under assumed names – Bessie as Esther Kelly, Marie as Bell Ballard – to dsicover first-hand the working conditions, values, and ambitions of factory girls. From a Pittsburgh pickle factory to a Lynn, Massachusetts shoe factory to a cotton mill in South Carolina, the two wrote of their experiences in what was considered a landmark work of social investigation. This fascinating account, originally published in 1903, includes an introductory letter from President Theodore Roosevelt.