Lunch in the Middle of a Hard Work Day, circa 1950-1960s

Lunch in the Middle of a Hard Work Day, circa 1950-1960s

Most people my age would remember carrying a metal lunch box to school every day. Of course, our lunch boxes were rectangular and sported images of our favorite tv and comic book heroes. Inside the lunch box would be a piece of fruit, a sandwich, a treat, and a thermos of milk. School would eventually be finished and we entered the work force.

 Many of us continued to carry a lunch box, similar to the one pictured. It didn't matter if we worked on a job site or an office, lunch boxes were a common sight. Interesting to note is that this particular lunch box is unused. An original sticker is still on the side. The thermos is also in unused condition. The glass insulator inside is still intact.

Hard hats were standard equipment for job site workers, and continue to be so today. The one pictured here was once used in a mine and has ear protection mounted on the hard hat. This ear protection was not for hearing, that came later. The protection shown in the photo was to protect the ears from physical harm that could be inflicted by falling rocks or inadvertent bumps.

Finally, the flashlight. This light runs on two 6 volt batteries. The flashlight is still functional. Depending on one's job this would be a necessary piece of equipment.

Men and women that worked on jobs sites generally worked hard. They worked in construction building houses, apartments, commercial buildings, and industrial sites. They built roads, bridges, dams, and dug mines. Things that workers continue doing today. A few minutes to sit down and eat lunch with fellow workers is a welcome relief.