Grandmother King, Hood Rubber, Watertown Massachusetts

HoodRubberThis fascinating photo was a lucky find at Flounce Vintage in Los Angeles. The owner thought it was set in a laundry; my guess was a garment factory. Neither of us was right. The key to the mystery was on the back: “Grandmother King (white hair between the two men) Hood Rubber Company Watertown.”

It wasn’t hard to find company records, housed in the Baker Library at Harvard University. Hood Rubber existed from 1896 to 1929, when it was bought out by the big rubber company, B. F. Goodrich. Here’s a description from the archive: “The main product of the company was footwear, principally sneakers. It also manufactured rubber boots and leather shoes and boots in smaller quantities. Several models of the Hood rubber boots were used by French, British, and American armed forces during World War I.” The company had very progressive employee benefits, including a dentist on site.

HoodRubber2There’s an interesting mix of work clothing depicted here. The men are in their undershirts—perhaps they were the haulers of those big bales in the background. The young women wear white shirtwaists with dark aprons over their skirts. Given their Gibson-girl-like hair styles and high collars, I am guessing this photo was taken closer to 1900 than 1910. Grandmother King has on a dark blouse with stripes or narrow lace on the bias. Her age and her dressier outfit give her an air of authority over the other workers. Might she have supervised the men as well?

What exactly went on in this room, with its wall of windows, high work tables, and piles of fabric on the side? Since Hood Rubber made sneakers, perhaps the canvas bodies for the shoes were cut out here.

This entry was posted in 1900s and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

6 Responses to Grandmother King, Hood Rubber, Watertown Massachusetts

  1. This is a fantastic photo, and I’m so glad that one of Grandmother King’s descendants thought to label it.

  2. Grandmother King looks like one tough New England woman, similar to those I bump into every day in Boston.

  3. Christina says:

    Very interesting photograph. Rubber was processed into sheets and rolls so it is possible what we see in the photograph are those rather than fabric but it is difficult to confirm.

  4. donna says:

    My grandparents and parents were from Watertown, Massachusetts and there was a huge laundry there called Llewelyn’s that employed a lot of people. But this does look like the inside of Hood. They made PF Flyers and had a great “barn” for cheap seconds. I’ld love to see some Rosie the Riverter types in BF Goodrich and also in the Arsenal, where artillery was made during the war. My grandparents had lots of stories of the factories during the war.

    • sarah Perry says:

      Hi. I grew up in Watertown & we wore PF Flyers from the factory store. . .but it was Lewando’s Laundry in Watertown Square. Or at least I don’t think there was a Llewelyn’s too.

  5. Pingback: At Hood Rubber Company, Circa 1905 | The Vintage Traveler

Leave a Reply to sarah Perry Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.