Gezicht op de katoenfabriek van de Boston Manufacturing Company in Waltham, Massachusetts before 1879

This photograph from 1818, by Thomas R. Lewis, captures the Boston Manufacturing Company’s cotton mill in Waltham, Massachusetts. During this era, the Industrial Revolution was in full swing, and the growth of factories transformed both the landscape and social structures of America. This image embodies the intertwined narratives of progress and exploitation. The factory symbolizes technological advancement and economic expansion, yet its existence was predicated on exploited labor – particularly that of enslaved people whose forced labor produced the raw cotton processed in mills like this one. The Waltham mill pioneered the ‘Waltham System,’ which relied on young, unmarried women from rural areas for labor. These women, often seeking economic independence, faced harsh working conditions and strict social control within the factory system. Consider how this image, while showcasing industrial achievement, obscures the human cost behind the production of textiles. It invites us to reflect on how progress can be unevenly distributed, benefiting some while marginalizing others.