Records of the League of Women Shoppers, 1937-1948
Overview
Clippings, brochures, etc., of the League of Women Shoppers, which worked for the establishment of quality standards and compulsory grade labeling on consumer products, a higher minimum wage, federal rent control, and equal pay for equal work.
Dates
- Creation: 1937-1948
Language of Materials
Materials in English.
Access Restrictions:
Access. Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright. Copyright in the records created by the League of Women Shoppers is held by the President and Fellows of Harvard College for the Schlesinger Library. Copyright in other papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.
Copying. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.
Extent
.21 linear feet ((1/2 file box) 2 folio folders)This collection consisted of three scrapbooks kept by members of the D.C. league; the volumes have been dismantled for preservation purposes. The bulk of the material (volumes 1 and 2) consisted of clippings about the D.C. league. Volume 3 contained mostly National Legislative Committee newsletters, studies, and press releases, with some correspondence, miscellaneous items, and clippings.
The papers provide little information about the national office in New York or other branches. They do document the many activities of the D.C. league, the House Un-American Activities Committee accusation, and the quarrel between the national and D.C. offices.
Most clippings were photocopied and the originals discarded.
HISTORY
The League of Women Shoppers was started in New York City in 1935 and at one time had fourteen branches. The Washington, D.C. league was founded in 1937 and had many prominent members. The major objectives of the group were better working conditions for labor, and high quality consumer goods at low prices. Specific issues included stabilizing the national economy; support for federal rent control and for price control and rationing; progressive taxation; ending inequity in living standards and ensuring the democratic rights of minorities; and promoting harmonious labor relations and collective bargaining. The league hoped to achieve its goals by educating the public, but soon found that stronger measures were required: it therefore participated in strikes and picketing, and initiated a boycott against Japanese silk.
In 1939 Congressman Martin Dies, chairman of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), accused the league of having been organized by the Communist Party. Disagreements between Washington and the national office in New York contributed to the demise of the League of Women Shoppers in 1948.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession number: 77-M128
The papers of the League of Women Shoppers were given to the Schlesinger Library by Eleanor Ernst Timberg and Kathleen R. Clift in August 1977.
Processing Information
Processed: September 1992
By: Bert Hartry
- Title
- League of Women Shoppers (Washington, D.C.). Records of the League of Women Shoppers, 1937-1948: A Finding Aid
- Author
- Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
- Language of description
- eng
- Sponsor
- The papers were processed under a grant from Clara G. Schiffer.
- EAD ID
- sch00690
Repository Details
Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository
The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.