Work

Gilbreth Stopwatch

The tools, rules, and relationships of the workplace illustrate some of the enduring collaborations and conflicts in the everyday life of the nation. The Museum has more than 5,000 traditional American tools, chests, and simple machines for working wood, stone, metal, and leather. Materials on welding, riveting, and iron and steel construction tell a more industrial version of the story. Computers, industrial robots, and other artifacts represent work in the Information Age.

But work is more than just tools. The collections include a factory gate, the motion-study photographs of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and more than 3,000 work incentive posters. The rise of the factory system is measured, in part, by time clocks in the collections. More than 9,000 items bring in the story of labor unions, strikes, and demonstrations over trade and economic issues.

Culture: Mexicans

Braceros at Movie Theater

Photograph: Braceros stand at the entrance to a movie theater in Watsonville, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros stand at the entrance to a movie theater in Watsonville, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.29.42
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.29.42

Braceros Receiving Documents

Photograph: An official distributes documents among braceros outside of the San Joaquin County Farm Production Association building in Stockton, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: An official distributes documents among braceros outside of the San Joaquin County Farm Production Association building in Stockton, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.39.24
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.39.24

Braceros Receiving Paychecks

Photograph: An official distributes paychecks to braceros outside an office in California.
Description
Photograph: An official distributes paychecks to braceros outside an office in California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.44.17
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.44.17

Braceros at Association Office

Photograph: Two officials speak with each other while braceros wait in an office in Stockton, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Two officials speak with each other while braceros wait in an office in Stockton, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.24.14
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.24.14

Reviewing Bracero's Documents

Photograph: A U.S. Border Patrol official reviews a bracero's documents while others wait in line to be processed at the Hidalgo Processing Center, Texas.
Description
Photograph: A U.S. Border Patrol official reviews a bracero's documents while others wait in line to be processed at the Hidalgo Processing Center, Texas.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.14.22
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.14.22

Braceros at Camp

Photograph: Braceros walk outside their living quarters at the Gondo Labor Camp in Watsonville, California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros walk outside their living quarters at the Gondo Labor Camp in Watsonville, California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.27.30
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.27.30

Braceros Waiting at Processing Center

Photograph: Braceros wait in a crowd at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros wait in a crowd at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.09.10
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.09.10

Braceros Waiting Behind Fence

Photograph: Braceros wait behind a barbed wire fence along a railroad track at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros wait behind a barbed wire fence along a railroad track at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.10.03
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.10.03

Vaccinating Braceros

Photograph: A nurse vaccinates a bracero while others wait in line at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A nurse vaccinates a bracero while others wait in line at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.17.25
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.17.25

Braceros Walking in Field

Photograph: Braceros walk over a field in crepuscular light in California.
Description
Photograph: Braceros walk over a field in crepuscular light in California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.54.04
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.54.04

Braceros in Field

Photograph: Braceros sit at the edge of a field in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros sit at the edge of a field in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.45.04
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.45.04

El Premio Ohtli Award, Mexican

Emilio Nicolas, Sr. received this award in 2007 from the government of Mexico for sharing Mexican culture in the United States.
Description
Emilio Nicolas, Sr. received this award in 2007 from the government of Mexico for sharing Mexican culture in the United States. Among the many awards he received over the course of his career, this one demonstrated his commitment to sharing Mexican culture in the United States through television. The medal uses the symbol of a traveler to honor the spread of Mexican arts and culture. Nicolas, Sr. played an instrumental role in building the earliest Spanish language television network in the United States, the Spanish International Network or SIN.
In the 1950s, consumers made television the centerpiece of the home, fueling competition among broadcasters to create new products, new programming, new stations, and even new networks. Innovators, such as those behind the creation of independent Spanish-language stations and eventually the Spanish International Network (SIN), challenged established broadcasting companies by creating new programming in Spanish and catering to underserved audiences. Established in the early 1960s, SIN knit together independents and created new stations to serve a national audience. With a complex business and legal history, SIN eventually became Univision in the 1980s. In the decades after 1980, Spanish-language programing options grew with recognition of Latinx communities as powerful consumer groups and the advent of new broadcasting technologies such as cable and digital TV.
Description (Spanish)
El Sr. Emilio Nicolas recibió este premio en 2007 por parte del gobierno de México por difundir la cultura mexicana en los Estados Unidos. Entre los muchos premios que recibió a lo largo de su carrera, este representa su compromiso con el desarrollo de la cultura mexicana en los Estados Unidos a través de la televisión. La medalla incorpora el símbolo de un viajero azteca para honrar la difusión de las artes y la cultura mexicanas en el exterior. El Sr. Nicolas desempeñó un papel fundamental en la creación de la primera cadena de televisión en español en los Estados Unidos, el Spanish International Network o SIN.
En la década de 1950, los consumidores hicieron de la televisión un componente central de sus hogares, fomentando la competencia entre las difusoras para crear nuevos productos, nueva programación, nuevas estaciones, e incluso nuevas redes. Los innovadores, como los creadores de los canales independientes de habla hispana y el Spanish International Network (SIN), desafiaron a las emisoras establecidas creando nuevos programas en español centradas en audiencias históricamente ignoradas. Establecido a principios de los sesenta, SIN unió a difusoras independentes y creó nuevas estaciones para responder a una audiencia nacional. Tras una compleja trayectoria empresarial y legal, SIN se convertiría en Univisión en la década de 1980. Durante las próximas décadas, las opciones de programación en español crecieron gracias al reconocimiento de la comunidad Latinx, como poderoso grupo de consumidores, y a la introducción de nuevas tecnologías de difusión, como el cable y la televisión digital.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2007
maker
United Mexican States
ID Number
2017.0213.02
catalog number
2017.0213.02
accession number
2017.0213

Bracero at Doctor's Office

Photograph: Dr. Stanley Savoy examines a bracero's back to check for respiratory illness in his clinical practice in the Salinas Valley, California.
Description
Photograph: Dr. Stanley Savoy examines a bracero's back to check for respiratory illness in his clinical practice in the Salinas Valley, California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.51.17
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.51.17

Braceros Talking to Officials

Photograph: Braceros talk to officials during processing at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros talk to officials during processing at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.03.02
catalog number
2004.0138.03.02
accession number
2004.0138

Bracero Service Facilities

Photograph: Parked cars sit in front of bracero insurance and service facilities near Hidalgo, Texas.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Parked cars sit in front of bracero insurance and service facilities near Hidalgo, Texas.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.11.17
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.11.17

Braceros Waiting to Board Buses

Photograph: Braceros wait in line to board buses at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros wait in line to board buses at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.09.23
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.09.23

Braceros Waiting to Board Buses

Photograph: Braceros wait in line to board buses at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros wait in line to board buses at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.09.22
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.09.22

Villagers in San Mateo, Mexico

Photograph: Two men ride a horse and a donkey down a street in San Mateo, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Two men ride a horse and a donkey down a street in San Mateo, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.08.13
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.08.13

Braceros Boarding Trucks

Photograph: Braceros board trucks at the Hidalgo Processing Center, Texas.
Description
Photograph: Braceros board trucks at the Hidalgo Processing Center, Texas.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.12.29
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.12.29

Braceros Waiting in Line

Photograph: Braceros wait in line to be processed at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros wait in line to be processed at the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.10.02
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.10.02

Braceros Walking Past Grave

Photograph: Near the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico, braceros walk along railroad tracks and pass the grave of a fallen compatriot.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Near the Monterrey Processing Center, Mexico, braceros walk along railroad tracks and pass the grave of a fallen compatriot.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.10.32
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.10.32

Braceros Washing Up

Photograph: Braceros wash up in a bathroom at a camp in California.a Californian camp.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: Braceros wash up in a bathroom at a camp in California.
a Californian camp.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.38.07
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.38.07

Braceros in Lettuce Field

Photograph: Braceros load lettuce while men assemble lettuce boxes in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.
Description
Photograph: Braceros load lettuce while men assemble lettuce boxes in a field in the Salinas Valley, California.
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.43.10
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.43.10

Bracero in Field

Photograph: A bracero sits at the edge of a field in California.Currently not on view
Description
Photograph: A bracero sits at the edge of a field in California.
Location
Currently not on view
date photographed
1956
photographer
Nadel, Leonard
ID Number
2004.0138.50.01
accession number
2004.0138
catalog number
2004.0138.50.01

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.