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Artisan Culture And The Organization Of Chicago's German Workers In The Gilded Age, 1860 To 1890, John Jentz

Library Faculty Research and Publications

This essay evaluates the nature of German artisan culture in gilded-age Chicago and its role in the organization of modem working-class institutions. Three examples- the Workingmen's Associations of Chicago's German workers in the 1850s and 1860s, the Bakers' Mutual Benefit Society, and the tradition of tool ownership among the city's German cabinetmakers- illustrate particular resources that artisan culture provided to German craftsmen, whether it be fellowship, intellectual stimulation, organizational strength, or a sense of personal independence. At the same time, artisan culture became anachronistic amidst the rapidly expanding industries of Chicago, as systematic mechanization destroyed the central role that artisans …