Rochester: Labor and Leisure

Rochester: Labor and Leisure is a visual celebration of the industrial strengths and the commercial successes of an earlier time. Located on the Genesee River, the city used the waterway to full advantage. Industries lined the riverbank, and the town thrived with enterprise and initiative. Rochester’s vibrant and productive residents knew not only how to work hard but also how to enjoy life. With more than two hundred stunning photographs, Rochester: Labor and Leisure highlights the progress of the city’s entrepreneurs, such as tobacco king William Kimball, oil tycoon Hiram Bond Everest, and museum operator Rattlesnake Pete. It reveals nightlife in the Gay Nineties and Front Street as it once was. It echoes the city’s unforgettable one-hundredth birthday party and the acclaim received for building an aqueduct.