If we are lucky, we will find ourselves in unique circumstances alongside some interesting characters. People who have colorful stories, fascinating life experiences, and tales that make one laugh or cry or better appreciate our own lives. Thankfully, I found such folks at Allied Textile Printers in the early 1970s.
A factory environment can be a universe unto itself. Anachronistic customs, challenging expectations, and of course, a rigid social hierarchy are but a few of the things one must learn to navigate while working there. Sensing I was witnessing the final days of this centuries-old industry, I photographed whenever I could. I also listened and took notes.
Mill Ends is the compilation of those records. It is not a scholarly examination of the waning of the North American textile industry. Rather it is a snapshot of a time that is now gone, just like many of the buildings, which once stood in the shadow of the Passaic Falls that Alexander Hamilton saw as a source of industrial opportunity for a young country.
The American Labor Museum/Botto House exhibited the photographs contained in the book.
The entire book can be viewed online by clicking the link.
Note: The images shown online are lower resolution than the actual prints or what appear in the book.