Station: [7] The Women of Dotzheim

F: Anna Braun and Lina Fischer were two midwives who brought several generations of little Dotzheimers into the world. They were two of a small number of women employed in Dotzheim before World War One – based on the existing records.

A few other women had set up their own businesses as seamstresses, washerwomen or innkeepers, or ran a store selling food or dry goods. Two dozen women pursuing a trade in a town of 4,000 inhabitants. Not many, but at least a good start.

M: Like everywhere else, the women of Dotzheim did jobs that were regarded as typically female and required no formal training. For example, sewing, darning and embroidery were seen as natural feminine skills, and a sewing machine bought on installments could enable a woman to start her own business.

Women as plumbers, carpenters or even physicians – well, that was something Dotzheimers could only dream of in 1913…

Now, if you head through the door on your left, you’ll discover the work space of a fearless and energetic young local widow called Luise Schmidt.