Jewish Girls' Street Peddling in Gilded Age Philadelphia: Ethnic Niche, Family Strategy, and Sexual Danger.

Historians of US cities in the Gilded Age have treated children's street work as a boys' domain, but many girls worked in the streets as well. Drawing on the case records of the Philadelphia Society to Protect Children from Cruelty, this article focuses on Jewish girl street peddlers. Girls' street work was part of a family and ethnic economic strategy for immigrant girls and their families, but it was opposed by urban reformers. In 1901, Philadelphia banned girls under sixteen from working on the streets, signaling new limits on girls' autonomy and mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the History of Childhood & Youth is the property of Johns Hopkins University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)