The Unpaid Labor of Libbie Reinheimer
A rare 1876 court case highlights a wife suing her own husband's firm for unpaid wages.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The case of Libbie Reinheimer vs. H. C. Vining Co., a claim for $119 for work performed, has been before Justice Smith for the past few days. It will probably be finished tomorrow. This is a case in which a wife sues a firm of which her husband is a member, for wages due her for services rendered the firm.
“This is a case in which a wife sues a firm of which her husband is a member, for wages due her for services rendered the firm.”
This 1876 litigation over a wife’s right to be compensated for labor performed within a family business touches on the 'coverture' legal norms of the time, where a woman's legal identity was often subsumed by her husband's. It echoes modern debates about the invisibility of domestic and administrative labor performed by spouses in small businesses or the home.
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