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Woman's Exchange Movement

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Woman's Industrial Exchange, Baltimore, Maryland

The Woman's Exchange Movement (or Women's Exchange Movement) refers to a system of benevolent consignment stores, usually established and managed by women, to benefit women. A number of them are members of the Federation of Woman's Exchanges (1934), which is still active.

Background

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The Woman's Exchange Movement in the United States dates to 1832, with the establishment of the Philadelphia Ladies' Depository.[1][2]

Exchanges are non-profit establishments. In the 19th century they were mainly set up by philanthropic women, providing a setting for women to sell their embroidery, sewing, and fancywork. This allowed women to earn a living without working outside their homes.[3]: 1  Initially, the exchanges in Philadelphia and New Brunswick appear to have catered for women who had seen better days and had now become self-supporting.[4] At the time it was socially unacceptable for "genteel women" to work and the Women's Exchanges allowed them to sell their work anonymously.[5] The managers and organizers of the exchanges added to their philanthropic status.[3]: 2  These women were also able to use their entrepreneurial skills in a socially acceptable way.[3]: 3 

Many exchanges added tearooms and lunchrooms, which provided more revenue and became fashionable meeting places for upper-class women.[3]: 95  While almost all the exchanges were unsuccessful as businesses, they nevertheless set high standards for the items they accepted, charging a commission of only 10 percent on sales. Consumers were therefore able to benefit from an interesting selection of hand-made articles at interesting prices.[4]

While many depositories and exchanges were local or regional operations, the Federation of Woman's Exchanges was established in 1934 and is still active.[6] While the Woman's Exchange Movement continued through the twentieth century and some exchanges are still in business, the movement has faded, due to a changing work force, rising rents, and a resistance to high-priced, hand-made merchandise.[7]

Select list of 19th-century Women's Exchanges

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A table of Woman's Exchanges from 1832 through 1891 compiled from the 1891 publication Directory of Exchanges for Woman's Work and other sources.[3]: 121–123 

Name City State Year Founded
Woman's Exchange Albany New York 1881
Woman's Industrial Exchange Atchison Kansas 1888
Woman's Exchange Augusta Georgia 1888
Woman's Industrial Exchange Baltimore Maryland 1880[8]
Women's Educational and Industrial Union Boston Massachusetts 1880
Exchange for Woman's Work Bridgeport Connecticut 1887
Exchange for Woman's Work Bristol Rhode Island 1885
Brooklyn Female Employment Society Brooklyn New York 1854[9]
Woman's Exchange Buffalo New York 1886
Exchange for Woman's Work Charleston South Carolina 1885
Exchange for Woman's Work Charlottesville Virginia 1888
Exchange for Woman's of Work Chicago Chicago Illinois 1879
Cincinnati Ladies' Depository Cincinnati Ohio 1868
Woman's Exchange Cincinnati Ohio 1883
Woman's Exchange Cleveland Ohio 1890
Woman's Exchange Columbus Ohio 1885
Woman's Exchange Decatur Illinois 1889
Woman's Exchange Denver Colorado 1886
Exchange for Woman's Work Detroit Michigan 1889
Exchange for Woman's Work Duluth Minnesota 1889
Woman's Exchange Elizabeth New Jersey 1887
Woman's Work Exchange Englewood New Jersey 1884
United Workers and Woman's Exchange Hartford Connecticut 1888
Woman's Exchange Houston Texas 1887
Woman's Exchange Jackson Illinois 1891
Woman's Exchange Lancaster Pennsylvania 1885
Woman's Exchange Lexington Kentucky 1885
Woman's Exchange Little Rock Arkansas 1887
Woman's Industrial Exchange Los Angeles California 1887
Woman's Exchange Louisville Kentucky 1885
Woman's Exchange Lynchburg Virginia 1890
Woman's Exchange Madison Wisconsin 1887
Exchange for Woman's Work Memphis Tennessee 1887
Woman's Industrial Exchange Milwaukee Wisconsin 1882
Women's Work and Art Exchange Morristown New Jersey 1885
Woman's Exchange Mount Vernon New York 1888
Depository of the Union for Good Works New Bedford Massachusetts 1881
Woman's Depository and Exchange New Brunswick New Jersey 1856
Christian Woman's Exchange New Orleans Louisiana 1881[10]
Exchange for Woman's Work New York New York 1878[11]
Madison Avenue Depository and Exchange for Woman's Work New York New York 1886
Harlem Exchange for Woman's Work New York New York 1888
Exchange for Woman's Work Newark New Jersey 1881
Woman's Exchange Newport Rhode Island 1887
Woman's Work Exchange Norfolk Virginia 1884
Exchange for Woman's Work Northampton Massachusetts 1888
Woman's Exchange Oshkosh Wisconsin 1890
Philadelphia Ladies' Depository Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1832[1]
Exchange for Woman's Work Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1888
Pittsburgh Ladies' Depository Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 1873
Woman's Industrial Exchange Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 1886
Woman's Exchange Plainfield New Jersey 1889
Rhode Island Exchange for Woman's Work Providence Rhode Island 1881
Exchange for Woman's Work Richmond Virginia 1883
Rochester Art Exchange Rochester New York 1880
Woman's Work Exchange San Antonio Texas 1890
Woman's Industrial Exchange San Diego California 1887
Woman's Exchange San Francisco California 1885
Woman's Industrial Exchange Santa Barbara California 1890
Woman's Exchange Springfield Illinois 1886
Woman's Exchange St. Joseph Missouri 1886
St. Louis Ladies' Depository St. Louis Missouri 1879
Woman's Exchange St. Louis Missouri 1883[12]
Woman's Work Exchange St. Paul Minnesota 1882
Exchange for Woman's Work Stamford Connecticut 1885
Exchange for Woman's Work Staunton Virginia 1890
Ladies' Exchange Topeka Kansas 1889
Woman's Exchange Troy New York 1887
Woman's Exchange Utica New York 1888
Woman's Exchange Washington, DC 1890
Woman's Exchange Waterbury Connecticut 1890
Woman's Exchange Wichita Kansas 1889

Prominent women in the Exchange Movement

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Woman's Exchange Movement". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  2. ^ Salomon, Deborah. "Staying Power: Sandhills Woman's Exchange Survives Floods and Changing Times". thepilot.com. The Pilot LLC. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e Sander, Kathleen Waters (1998). The Business of Charity: The Woman's Exchange Movement, 1832–1900. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0252067037.
  4. ^ a b Salmon, Lucy Maynard (1906). "Progress in the Household: The Woman's Exchange". Houghton, Mifflin and Company. pp. 161–198. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  5. ^ Ames, Lynne (April 20, 1997). "Woman's Exchange, 65, Continues to Fill a Need". The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  6. ^ "Federation of Woman's Exchanges". Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  7. ^ Hernández, Daisy (February 23, 2003). "A Genteel Nostalgia, Going Out of Business". The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  8. ^ Kelly, Jacques (January 8, 1999). "Tea room regulars, philanthropists give cherished institution a needed boost; Woman's exchange meets goal of raising $150,000". The Baltimore Sun.
  9. ^ Frost, Mary (September 30, 2014). "Brooklyn Women's Exchange celebrates 160 Years". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
  10. ^ a b Willinger, Beth (2009). "The Women of the New Orleans Christian Woman's Exchange (1881 - )". Louisiana Women: Their Lives and Times. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 9780820342696.
  11. ^ a b c Trebay, Guy (April 6, 2007). "Women's exchanges grew out of a post-Civil War need". The Palm Beach Post. p. 8E. Retrieved May 12, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Trebay, Guy (April 6, 2007). "The cherry dress: As timeless as ever". The Palm Beach Post. p. 1E. Retrieved May 12, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
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