By all accounts, it was a moment as pivotal as it was tragic.  On March 25, 1911, approximately five hundred workers were crafting "shirtwaists" (blouses with puffy sleeves and tight waists).  These garments, worn by "Gibson Girls," were the height of feminine fashion in America during the years before World War I.  The shirtwaist was part of an image personifying beauty with a touch of independence, popularized by illustrated stories developed by a guy named -- yep, you guessed it -- Charles Dana Gibson. But the women and girls (primarily) working long hours to produce the "shirtwaists" were not likely to actually wear them.  They were immigrants for the most part, underpaid and overworked.  They labored on the Lower East Side of New York City in a sweatshop at 29 Washington Place -- specifically on floors seven through ten.  On that particular Saturday, the girls were wrapping up their otherwise typical workweek of more...(Read Full Post)