The Manhattan Trade School for Girls was a New York City public high school founded in 1902 by Mary Schenck Woolman,[1] and was the first vocational school for female students established in the United States.
[2] It was established by philanthropic reformers to provide training for young women to work in trades such as garment factory work.
To accommodate growing enrollment, a new building was constructed and designed by C. B. J. Snyder in 1915 at 127 East 22nd Street.
The following photographs of activities at the Manhattan Trade School for Girls date to 1916: A documentary film was made about the school in 1911.
[4] The film is available on DVD from Image Entertainment as part of the box set Treasures III: Social Issues in American Film, 1900–1934 with a ragtime style musical score by Elena Ruehr composed specifically for the film.