Big Bosses by Althea Altemus
In the 1920s, Althea was a single (divorced) mom who made her living as a secretary.
On the face of it, not too exciting, eh? But oh the men she worked for--and the celebrities she crossed paths with--businessman Samuel Insull, inventor Thomas Edison, actresses Marion Davies and Constance Talmedge, painter John Singer Sargent, the list goes on and on. And it turned out to be quite a remarkable life.
Each chapter of the book tells another fascinating story in Althea's career--first in Florida, then in Chicago, NYC, then back to Florida. We see some of the social issues she faced--the discrimination against mothers (especially single mothers), the wardrobe restrictions women faced--even rules about how they could wear their hair in the office (leading some women to wear wigs to cover their fashionable "bobs" during the workday). She was also present for some truly memorable events--a devastating hurricane in Miami, the crash of the stock market.
While women in the workplace have not yet achieved equality with men in many respects, we have come a long way baby.
On the face of it, not too exciting, eh? But oh the men she worked for--and the celebrities she crossed paths with--businessman Samuel Insull, inventor Thomas Edison, actresses Marion Davies and Constance Talmedge, painter John Singer Sargent, the list goes on and on. And it turned out to be quite a remarkable life.
Each chapter of the book tells another fascinating story in Althea's career--first in Florida, then in Chicago, NYC, then back to Florida. We see some of the social issues she faced--the discrimination against mothers (especially single mothers), the wardrobe restrictions women faced--even rules about how they could wear their hair in the office (leading some women to wear wigs to cover their fashionable "bobs" during the workday). She was also present for some truly memorable events--a devastating hurricane in Miami, the crash of the stock market.
While women in the workplace have not yet achieved equality with men in many respects, we have come a long way baby.
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