PC2010.2463
Hand loom silk weavers. Throughout the middle of the nineteenth century silk weaving was one of Leigh's major industries. It was an industry very susceptible to market fluctuations, so that silk workers too frequently found themselves with no work. The delicate touch needed to weave silk was only acquired after a long apprenticeship, and after 1860 few people put their children to the trade. This picture taken in 1919 shows George Hilton (in the three piece suit) and his workers before his firm closed in 1926. The two ladies are thought to be Mrs Hindley and Mrs Smith who would at that time have been in their late eighties. The name of the male worker is not known.
Image Details
| Location | Leigh, Lancashire, England |
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