The world that we know today feels like a completely different ballgame from the one that people muddled through back in the 1800s. Obviously, we’re able to enjoy our share of benefits, as plenty of things have evolved from the state they were in during the 1800s. From the lamplighters who would commitedly wander the streets as dusk settled in, making sure to ignite each gas lamp, on into the ice cutters who would carve gargantuan blocks from literal frozen lakes, the times and the jobs that came with them were far different.
Look, the times that we’re all living through right now aren’t easy, and with the job market itself seemingly speeding toward its own kinds of lows, it can be hard to find the moments, the pauses, to actually practice gratitude for what is because what is could be so much worse. That’s where a quick look like this one, back at some of the more unseemly, downright disgusting jobs from an era like the 1800s, helps fuel that thought exercise.
For instance, you could be out in the cold working as a whalebone corset stretcher
Yeah, I would also be taking a hard pass on that. The job itself entailed wonderful duties like soaking, bending, and adding tension to whale baleen so as to get it into rigid forms. As quickly came with the territory, burns snapped whalebone shards, and chemical treatments all worked together in a nightmarish symphony to make but one shift feel like it could be your last. So, maybe the odd contractor role working as a customer service representative for a utilities company, from within the warmth of your modern-day home, isn’t all bad after all.
Forget about Santa coming down the chimney; in the 1800s, you could be a chimney climber’s assistant
Yeah, what sounds so bad about that, right? Pretty much everything. Picture a bone-numbingly cold, icy winter morning where you treated yourself to rolling out of bed only to head over to a large estate where you’d then clear soot from enormous industrial chineys. To make matters even more appealing, chimney climbers’ assistants would oftentimes have to wedge themselves into tight spaces to dislodge blockages. If you had claustrophobia, you were as good as out of a job.
You could always chase thrills as a train brakeman before there was automation
Maybe all the work at your computer isn’t cutting it for you. Maybe you need more of a thrill to keep you moving in your day-to-day living. Well, you’d have been waving your hand with mad interest for a chance at being a train brakeman (pre-automation) back in the 1800s. Those lucky lads had the chance to jump between moving railcars to then manually turn brake wheels during transit. Of course, slippery surfaces, terrible weather, and sudden movements made it a role that was no stranger to regular hazardous occurrences.
You see, all that it takes is but a quick stroll down memory lane to remind yourself that while things are gritty out here, and no doubt difficult, at least we’re not filing in line to grab the next available shift for working as a whalebone corset stretcher. I can’t lie, though, there was something oddly intriguing about being a chimney climber’s assistant. Only for a day, though, at that.
