THE "LADY CLERKS" OF THE
TREASURY DEPARTMENT

In the early days of the Treasury Building, when its spaces were being designed and built, men were the only employees of the Department. It was not until time of the Civil War (1861-1865) that the Treasury first employed women, when the men were away fighting. According to an early account, cutting sheets of money apart after they were printed was the first job for women laborers at the Treasury. Some offices, such as the Redemption Division, eventually employed women almost exclusively.

The bronzing or sealing room, c. 1867.

The money drying room on what is now the fifth floor of the Treasury Building, c. 1863.

A 1909 plan of what is now the fourth floor of the Treasury Building, showing a large space labeled the "Redemption Division," which, according to an 1875 account, employed women almost exclusively.

"Lady Clerks Leaving the Treasury Department at Washington," from Harper's Weekly, February 18, 1865.

 

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