Women at work at the William Shoe Company in Portsmouth, Ohio   Save
Ohio Guide Photographs
Description: Photograph shows women working at the William Shoes Company in Portsmouth, Ohio. The women sit facing each other at long wooden workbenches, sewing on Singer sewing machines. Williams Manufacturing Company in Portsmouth had been small, specializing in low-cost footwear, until it began expanding during the Great Depression, as many people could not afford higher quality shoes. The discount shoe industry continued to grow, and they eventually purchased the Old Selby Factory building in 1957. They continued to make ‘cheap' shoes, until the company found it increasingly difficult to compete in a globalized market, and were forced to close in 1976. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F07_035_1
Subjects: Shoe industry--Ohio; Shoe industry--United States--History; Singer Sewing Machine Company
Places: Portsmouth (Ohio); Scioto County (Ohio)