LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 Feb Americana Grand Format Auction #659  / 

25254

Rare Sarah G. Bagley Commemorative Thread Holder

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:375.00 USD Estimated At:1,500.00 - 1,800.00 USD
Rare Sarah G. Bagley Commemorative Thread Holder
<B>Rare Sarah G. Bagley Commemorative Thread Holder,</B></I> 1.5" x 4.5", tin with celluloid end caps, Boston, Massachusetts. The body of this clever contraption carries the bold title "Sarah's Thread Holder" while one end cap reads "Souvenir of Sarah's Suffrage Victory Campaign Fund / Help Cut The Fetters." Exceptional condition with a few minor abrasions and spots of rusting as expected. This thread holder was made in honor of Sarah G. Bagley, founder of the Lowell, Massachusetts Female Labor Reform Movement. Born in 1806, in Canada, Bagley came to work in 1837 as a weaver at the Hamilton Manufacturing Company in Lowell. At first, she enjoyed her work, but she began to find it increasingly oppressive and dangerous, particularly for women. Through her labor organization, she campaigned for a ten-hour working day and forced the Massachusetts legislature to address the working conditions in the textile mills. She left Lowell in 1848 when her father came down with typhus, and was never heard from again. The thread holder carrying her name is a hollow tin cylinder. Each side has a screw off celluloid button holder designed to keep spools of thread inside. The cylinder itself has three holes which allow thread to be pulled through. The piece was used as a fundraiser and sold for 10 cents each when empty and 25 cents when filled with thread. The Thread Holder Company, self-designated at the "Official Headquarters for Sarah's Suffrage Victory Campaign," offered $500 to each of the top 17 participants in the campaign in terms of sales. All money received from those sales was divided equally between the State League Headquarters in Boston and the Local League Headquarters. A popular and highly sought after suffrage item.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Small Collectibles (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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