Antique Working Life - Buffalo - Union labor. Cohn, Frank & Co

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The record credits this view of union labor in Buffalo to Cohn, Frank & Co., and its title places the scene in the city's working life rather than at a single named site. Buffalo grew into a major industrial center in the late 1800s, drawing on its position at the eastern end of the Great Lakes and the Erie Canal, with grain milling, steel, and manufacturing employing large numbers of workers. Trade unions gained ground in cities like this during those decades, and images of organized labor were often used to show workers' collective identity. Looking closely at the figures and their surroundings can reveal clues about the trades and working conditions of the time.

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