The Sardine Industry

Whole families worked in the sardine canneries that were common in Eastern Maine towns like Eastport and Lubec by the 1880s. Here men and boys are cutting off the heads and tails, and cleaning small herring for canning. Wives and daughters were most likely working inside the building filling cans before they were sealed and cooked.

This image is from G. Brown Goode's The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States, 1884-1887, Section V, Plate 137. This book can be found online at NOAA.