The Employments of Women: A Cyclopædia of Woman's WorkPenny, Virginia
General
The Employments of Women: A Cyclopædia of Woman's Work
Penny, Virginia
Women -- Employment
families are engaged in the sale of different articles: one will sell
eggs; another, vegetables; another, poultry, &c. It is said that better
meat and vegetables are brought to Philadelphia than to New York
markets. In New York there is a larger population requiring articles of
a cheap kind. We think market women, considering their habits and modes
of living, probably do as well in a pecuniary way as any other class of
women. Their wants are few, their habits simple, and their
occupation--though an exposed one--healthy. The variety of seeing new
faces, and chatting with those similarly employed, yield more comfort
and content than most women's work. They take in but a few pennies at a
time, yet have their regular customers, and, in prosperous seasons, many
besides. I will give an extract from my diary of a visit made to several
of the New York markets: "I saw some women selling fruit; some,
vegetables; and some, tripe and sausage. I judge, from the appearance of
most dealers, it is not unhealthy. Most of the women were far advanced
in life, particularly those who sold vegetables. They all complain that
they do not sell so much since the commencement of the hard times. How
is it? Do people buy less, and so eat less? or is less wasted in their
kitchens? or are some unable to buy meat and vegetables at all? Here I
would state the remark of a druggist: that, as times are hard, people do
not indulge in so much rich food, nor in a surplus of it; consequently
there is less sickness, and so little medicine sold that the druggists
are discouraged. This druggist has since sold out, and moved to the
country. Most of the market women looked to be Irish. One strong Irish
woman told me that American women cannot bear the exposure in cold
weather, and rent their stalls through the winter to men. They make
their appearance in March with the flowers and early fruit. Butter is
sold exclusively by men in Washington market, New York, and is more
profitable than anything else. There is considerable difference in the
class of custom in the different markets in New York; but the poor are
usually more in number than the rich--so the markets frequented by them
may receive as great a profit as where a smaller number of better
customers attend. Some women regulate their sales to have a percentage,
but many sell for what they can get, without regard to the amount of
profit. I find those selling vegetables, buy of farmers who come early,
and leave a supply for each seller in case she is not there. Any
vegetables they may have left are locked up in boxes, or barrels, or
covered over and left on the bench. The gates of the market house are
closed and locked up at one o'clock every day except Saturday, with the
exception of Washington and Fulton markets, which are open all day, and
the first mentioned all night. Watchmen are about the markets at all
hours of the day and night, and in some markets an extra fee is paid by
the sellers to secure attention to their stalls.
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