Royal Train - Porter Makes Up Princess Bed, Royal Cars

Royal Train - Porter Makes Up Princess Bed, Royal Cars

A photograph taken by an unknown person in 1951. A Black sleeping car porter makes the bed in a train car. Maintaining neatness and cleanliness was an important part of porters’ roles. There were specific rules they had to follow: certain ways to fold blankets and sheets, times when they could exchange soiled sheets for clean ones (Foster 58). There was no margin for error—any mistake made on the job could be given a demerit point, which could lead to firing. Although sleeping car porters were seen as stable employment, stable then was nothing like it means today. Before the Canada Labour Code of 1967, workers had significantly fewer legal rights.

Ingenium Archives

Canadian Museum of Science and Technology. Royal Train - Porter Makes Up Princess Bed, Royal cars. 1951. Photograph. CN Images of Canada Collection. X-35419. https://files.ingeniumcanada.org/items/arch/74/X-35419_5dbd33d23113a8371372c88d3a348eae222a9871.jpeg.

Ingenium Archives

1951

Ingenium Archives

Photograph