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Women's Exchange of Brooklyn records

Call Number

1988.018

Dates

1863-1964, inclusive
; 1920-1949, bulk

Creator

Needlework Society and Exchange
Women's Exchange of Brooklyn
Brooklyn Female Employment Society

Extent

1.5 Linear Feet
in three manuscript boxes.

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The Women's Exchange of Brooklyn records include correspondence, reports, financial statements, minutes, clippings, ephemera, and a constitution. The collection documents the work of the organization in providing a marketplace for members, decisions related to its business affairs, activities and community service planned by members, and the administration of the sewing school.

Historical note

The Women's Exchange of Brooklyn was founded in 1854 as the Brooklyn Female Employment Society. The Society was a benevolent organization that furnished employment to women whose circumstances compelled them to work from home. The Exchange instructed women in hand crafts and provided a marketplace for selling their work. In 1923, the Exchange merged with the Brooklyn Decorative Art Society and Women's Exchange to become The Needlework Society and Exchange of Brooklyn. The current name was adopted 1936. In its early days, the Women's Exchange established sewing schools to train women in sewing skills and techniques. Later, the Exchange opened a storefront in Brooklyn Heights to sell hand-crafted wares on consignment, including knitted goods, children's apparel, baked goods, and handmade toys. The Women's Exchange of Brooklyn remains, as of 2024, the oldest continuously-operating member of the Federation of Women's Exchanges in the United States. Its storefront is located on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights.

Scope and Contents

The Women's Exchange of Brooklyn records date from 1863 to 1964 (bulk 1920 to 1949) and measure 1.5 linear feet. Materials in the collection include correspondence, reports, financial statements, minutes, clippings, ephemera, and a constitution. The collection documents the work of the Women's Exchange in providing a marketplace for members, decisions related to its business affairs, activities and community service planned by members, and the administration of the sewing school. Names of members are recorded in meeting minutes, as well as the sewing school's graduation lists.

The collection is arranged in four series: Minutes; Finances, reports, and legal documents; Correspondence; and Public relations, development, and ephemera.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Women's Exchange of Brooklyn records, 1988.018, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the Women's Exchange of Brooklyn, 1988.

Related Materials

Additional annual reports of the Brooklyn Female Employment Society are available in the Brooklyn charitable organizations for working women collection (1985.109).

Other Finding Aids

An earlier version of this finding aid, with a complete container list, is available in paper form.

Collection processed by

Jillian Cuellar

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-03-29 19:37:03 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is written in: English, Latin script.

Processing Information

Minimally processed to the series level.

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society

Container

Box: 1988.018 3 of 3 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 1988.018 2 of 3 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 1988.018 1 of 3 (Material Type: Text)

Series 1: Minutes, 1942-1964, inclusive

Extent

0.42 Linear Feet in one manuscript box.

Scope and Contents

This series contains the monthly meeting minutes of the Board of Managers, accompanied by a treasurer's report on the previous month's activities. The minutes provide details on the activities, plans, and concerns of the Women's Exchange, and report on new memberships, resignations, and the business affairs of the Exchange.

Series 2: Finances, reports, and legal documents, 1863-1964, inclusive

Extent

0.3 Linear Feet in eight folders.

Scope and Contents

This series consists of financial documentation, annual reports and audits, and legal documents. Of particular note are the receipts and expenditures reports that outline the monthly expenses and income of the Women's Exchange. Also included in this series is a constitution that describes the mission of the Women's Exchange and a 1958 rules booklet that governed its actions.

Series 3: Correspondence, 1923-1948, inclusive

Extent

0.12 Linear Feet in eight folders.

Scope and Contents

This series is comprised entirely of correspondence, much of which relates to various properties owned by the Exchange.

Series 4: Public relations, development, and ephemera, 1890-1964, inclusive

Extent

0.42 Linear Feet in one manuscript box.

Scope and Contents

This series contains materials such as donation requests, advertising efforts, and newspaper articles. The ephemera in this series includes sewing books with textile samples that demonstrate sewing techniques taught to students at the Women's Exchange sewing school, as well as a notebook containing the names of graduates.

Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201