International Ladies Garment Workers Union

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Nell Donnelly Reed

Author:

Rebekah Aycock

University of Kansas

Born Ellen Quinlan in Parsons, Kansas, Nell Donnelly Reed was the founding owner of the Donnelly Garment Company. The women’s clothing line became a national sensation. Reed’s was the first company to mass produce affordable and attractive ready-to-wear clothing for women. She was one of many people to capitalize on the garment industry’s move to Kansas City and other spaces outside of the Northeast. Reed was a talented designer who envisioned the mass production of flattering, beautiful clothing for working class women. After selling a few of her new designs to local stores, Reed decided to open her own shop. This was the start of the Donnelly Garment Company, officially founded in 1916. The innovation and glamour of Reed’s professional and social life in Kansas City, especially after her advantageous marriage to former-Senator James A. Reed, is clouded by accusations of her abusive managerial practices and her clashes with the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union.

ILGWU Local 270 Banner

Genre:

Physical Objects

Banner for the Coat and Suit Workers Local 270 of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, as seen on display at the entrance to the Kansas City Garment District Museum.

Donnelly Garment Company vs. International Ladies Garment Workers Union, et al.: Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 132: Lottie Conroy Death Certificate

Genre:

Miscellaneous Documents

Death certificate for Lottie Conroy issued by the Missouri State Board of Health. She died on March 24, 1934, and her cause of death is listed as second and third degree burns resulting from her clothing catching fire.

Donnelly Garment Company vs. International Ladies Garment Workers Union, et al.: Exhibit 1 to Affidavit of Flora Slatnick

Genre:

Photographs

Clippings

Photograph of a woman with torn clothing, "caught in the middle of a fight between women garment workers and strike pickets," outside of a dress factory in Memphis, Tennessee.

Donnelly Garment Company vs. International Ladies Garment Workers Union, et al.: Affidavit of Mamie Tubbersing

Genre:

Miscellaneous Documents

Mamie Tubbersing's affidavit in Equity Case No. 2924: Donnelly Garment Company and Donnelly Garment Sales Company, Plaintiffs, vs. International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) and all members of said union as defendants in this class action. In this affidavit, Tubbersing describes being laid off after discussing the benefits of joining a union with her coworkers.

Donnelly Garment Company vs. International Ladies Garment Workers Union, et al.: Affidavit of Leonard Williams

Genre:

Miscellaneous Documents

Leonard Williams's affidavit in Equity Case No. 2924: Donnelly Garment Company and Donnelly Garment Sales Company, Plaintiffs, vs. International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) and all members of said union as defendants in this class action. In this affidavit, Williams responds to the affidavit of Freeland Rife, entered by the plaintiffs, in which Rife accuses the unionized shops as having poorer working conditions than at Donnelly Garment Company.

Donnelly Garment Company vs. International Ladies Garment Workers Union, et al.: Exhibit No. 14, Garment Designer

Genre:

Photographs

An employee of The Donnelly Garment Company creating a new design for garments in the Corrigan Building at 1828 Walnut, Kansas City, Missouri.

Donnelly Garment Company vs. International Ladies Garment Workers Union, et al.: Exhibit No. 62, ILGWU Demonstration on March 17, 1937

Genre:

Photographs

Photograph of Wave Tobin and a group of protestors at a demonstration on March 17, 1937 by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. This image was captured outside of the Gordon Brothers Garment Company, Gernes Garment Company, and Missouri Garment Company building at 2617 Grand Avenue (now Grand Boulevard), Kansas City, Missouri. The sit-in turned into a riot as violence began between garment company workers, union protesters, and police. This photograph was taken near the back entrance of the building by Kansas City Journal-Post newspaper photographer George Cauthen.

Donnelly Garment Company vs. International Ladies Garment Workers Union, et al.: Exhibit "A", ILGWU Announcement

Genre:

Leaflets

A leaflet for the public, written by the Kansas City Joint Board of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU). The ILGWU requests that the public boycott the Donnelly Garment Company for denying of its workers "the rights and privileges, wage scales, and hours of work that prevail in every shop in the dress industry throughout the country." Included in the leaflet is a copy of a letter written from ILGWU Kansas City Joint Board Manager Wave Tobin to the Donnelly Garment Company on March 9, 1937 addressing concerns by the union.

Donnelly Garment Company vs. International Ladies Garment Workers Union, et al.: Exhibit "A-43", James A. Reed's Living Room

Genre:

Photographs

Photograph of James A. Reed and Nell Donnelly Reed's living room in their home at 5236 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Missouri. The caption reads, "#2 Living room showing entrance to sunroom left and breakfast room right. By Rich S. Welch, Operator."

Donnelly Garment Company vs. International Ladies Garment Workers Union, et al.: Affidavit of Omar Rose

Genre:

Miscellaneous Documents

Omar Rose's affidavit in Equity Case No. 2924: Donnelly Garment Company and Donnelly Garment Sales Company, Plaintiffs, vs. International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) and all members of said union as defendants in this class action. In this affidavit, Rose attests to a positive relationship between ILGWU Local 250 and the Stern, Slegman & Prins garment factory and describes higher pay and fewer hours of work since the affiliation.

Donnelly Garment Company vs. International Ladies Garment Workers Union, et al.: Affidavit of Jane Walker Palmer

Genre:

Miscellaneous Documents

Leonard Williams's affidavit in Equity Case No. 2924: Donnelly Garment Company and Donnelly Garment Sales Company, Plaintiffs, vs. International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) and all members of said union as defendants in this class action. In this affidavit, Palmer discusses advertisements for "Nelly Don" dresses in multiple 1937 issues of Vogue magazine.

International Ladies Garment Workers Union

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