Shoe Factory Workers Posing near Rows of Completed Footwear, Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1903

In 1800, shoemaking was a craft known to few. Throughout the century, inventors patented industrial machines to perform much of that manual labor. By 1900, large shops of laborers produced more shoes faster and cheaper than ever before. In this photograph, large machines are visible behind the workers who are posing near shelves lined with finished boots.