Secretary Betty Goodell in Clear Lake, Iowa, 1950

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Courtesy of the State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines Register & Tribune, March 1950

Description

#3 Occupation: Stenographer, Typist or Secretary
As businesses grew larger and more complex, some businesses added secretaries. Secretaries would likely have typing skills but were also asked to file papers, answer phone calls, write notes, sort incoming mail and run errands. Stenographers, a special kind of typist, continued using a kind of writing called shorthand that used abbreviations and symbols to transcribe speech. Some offices had electric typewriters whose keys were easier to push. In this photo, Betty Goodell, a secretary in Clear Lake, Iowa, files records.

Source-Dependent Questions

• What is the working environment for a secretary?
• What skills does this secretary need in order to be successful at her job?
• How did the occupation of typist change from 1900 to 1950?