The Exchange in the Early 1900s
A letter written in 1905 by Nellie Schley Fisher gives insight to the Exchange in the early 1900s. Mrs. Fisher was the President of the Woman’s Industrial Exchange for eight years from 1899 to 1907. She is from Frederick, Maryland but got involved in Baltimore charities and in the Exchange after marrying Mr. Parks Fisher.
Her letter is addressed to Mrs. Gordon, assumed to be a friend or an associate of Mrs. Fisher. She expresses how the Exchange has helped the Baltimore community and how it has grown since its beginning. Mrs. Fisher emphasizes the theme and mission of the exchange through her words of “there can be no greater charity than that of helping women help themselves.”
The letter notes that the Exchange has been so successful that it had managed to completely pay off their new building on North Charles Street that had only been purchased 18 years prior. Mrs. Fisher noted that the Exchange “is a big enterprise, but all is systemized.” She described how the Exchange worked as a whole as well as each department. The women consignors came in and dropped off their products to the cashier desk in the shop section of the building. The consignors could remain anonymous and there was less than a 10% commission charge on all sales– meaning that the consignors received at least 90% of the profits made from their items.
Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Sun, July 27, 1905.
The sewing department was in charge of the consignors’ work and contained a sewing room that could be used by the consignors to produce their products. The sewing department also offered sewing classes to the public where women could learn and update their craft. The lunch department runs the lunchroom, the outside tray service, school lunches, and counter service. The fancy work department ran the lace and embroidery consignors and products. The house department controlled the apartments on the second and third floors and how they were used.
Some of the apartments were used as offices for the Board of Managers. Each department had a chief clerk and a chairman. The chairman of each department appointed her committee and they met monthly on the second Tuesday of every month which consisted of reading reports and discussing the business of each department. The Superintendent in General of the store and sales was Jim White and there were twelve clerks and thirteen servants. The president’s job was to keep in touch with all of the departments and the running gears of the Exchange each day.
Mrs. Fisher’s letter shows the success and influence of the Exchange in the early 1900s on Baltimore’s women. For the first time, women were placed in positions of power on a board of managers and upper class women could make a profit independently from their husbands.
Johns Hopkins’ Involvement
Francis White
Jane Janney White (Mrs. Francis White, Johns Hopkins’ favorite niece)
Johns Hopkins was born on May 19th, 1795 in Gambrills, Anne Arundel County to Samuel Hopkins and Hannah Janney Hopkins. His first name was inherited from his grandfather, Johns Hopkins, who was given his mother’s maiden name as his first name. Hopkins was the second oldest of eleven children. His siblings included Joseph Janney Hopkins, Eliza Hopkins Crenshaw, Sarah Hopkins Janney, Hannah Hopkins, Samuel Hopkins, Mahlon Hopkins, Philip Hopkins, Margaret Hopkins White, Gerard Hopkins, and Mary Rebeckah Hopkins Congdon. Hopkins and his siblings grew up on a tobacco plantation and were required to work on the farm. When he was 17 in 1812, he left the plantation to work for his uncle Gerard Hopkins’ wholesale grocery business in Baltimore. In 1819, Hopkins and three of his brothers established Hopkins & Brothers Wholesalers. The company prospered and Johns Hopkins became independently wealthy through investments in companies and organizations such as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O Railroad) and Merchants’ Bank. Johns Hopkins was an abolitionist and strong supporter of President Lincoln and the Union. As a philanthropist, he supported and funded social organizations that provided health and education services regardless of prejudice. He was interested in providing aid for the underserved regardless of their age, sex, or skin complexion. Johns Hopkins never married, as he fell in love with his cousin, Elizabeth Hopkins and was not able to marry her. This left Johns Hopkins with no offspring to carry on his legacy after his death on December 24th, 1873. Instead, he left his wealth, prestige, and philanthropy in the hands of his extended family, allowing his siblings, cousins, and nephews to carry on the Hopkins name.
Knowing Johns Hopkins’ dedication to helping individuals in need regardless of their social class and gender, Hopkins’ family was keen to the idea of funding and starting an organization to help women help themselves. Mrs. Jane Janney White, wife of Mr. Francis White, has been called Hopkins’ favorite niece. She and her sister Mrs. Margaret Janney Elliot were founders and original members of the Woman’s Industrial Exchange board of managers in 1882. Mr. Francis White became one of the members of the male advisory board in order to allow the Exchange to grow in credibility and namesake. Other Hokpins women became involved in the Exchange on the executive level such as Bettie A. Hopkins, Caroline D. Hopkins, Frances Hopkins, Mrs. John Jolliffee Hopkins, and Elizabeth Hopkins (a different Elizabeth than Johns Hopkins’ love and cousin). The Hopkins’ women and name continue to appear at large in the records of the Exchange’s board up until the early 1900s. Johns Hopkins’ philanthropy and interest in helping the underserved in Baltimore was emphasized by the Hopkins’ family interest in the Woman’s Industrial Exchange and how it could help women in the city that helped form his success and solidify his legacy.
Source:
Johns Hopkins Biographical Archive. “Johns Hopkins, A Reexamination.” Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2024. https://exhibits.library.jhu.edu/omeka-s/s/johnshopkinsbiographicalarchive/page/home.