Printers traditionally wore white shirts and ties to work, a custom
that lasted until the 1960s.
They took pride in an ability to work all day, with dirty type and
black ink, and not soil their cuffs.
Women printers were common, occasionally in the majority on some newspapers.
The Typographical Union insisted that women receive equal wages
and working condition beginning in the late 1800s. Some employers
preferred women because they were more dependable and rarely drank.
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While printers wore ties, editors sometimes went one better: a
Prince Albert cutaway.
After the paper "went to bed," apprentices were sent out for buckets
of beer to celebrate.
