The Tinsmiths and the Eight Hour Day Procession
"The Tinsmiths came out as usual in their coats of mail. The men, on powerful steeds, looked remarkably well, and the polished tin shone brightly in the sun, like burnished silver."Herald April 21 1890
The Tinsmiths' contingent was a traditional highlight of the annual Eight Hour Day Procession, which grew in size and significance from the first Eight Hour Day Procession in 1856, in which several hundred building workers marched to celebrate their victory,
By the 1890s it was usual for more than 10,000 unionists representing over 50 distinct trades to march each year behind their banners, watched by crowds of over 100,000. Horse drawn floats and displays depicting the workers' trade skills demonstrated the unionists' pride in their crafts.
Tinsmiths at Eight Hour Procession 1916
Photo: Melbourne University Archives
