Commercials, careers and culture: travelling salesmen in Britain 1890s-1930s

French, M. (2005) Commercials, careers and culture: travelling salesmen in Britain 1890s-1930s. Economic History Review, 58(2), pp. 352-377. (doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0289.2005.00307.x)

Abstract

Within the lower middle-class, British commercial travellers established a strong fraternal culture before 1914. This article examines their interwar experiences in terms of income, careers, and associational culture. It demonstrates how internal labour markets operated, identifies the ways in which commercial travellers interpreted their role, and explores their social and political attitudes.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: salesmen; business history
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: French, Professor Michael
• Authors: French, M.
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races; H Social Sciences > HF Commerce
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Economic and Social History
• Journal Name: Economic History Review
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Economic History Society
• ISSN: 0013-0117
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2008 Economic History Society
• First Published: First published in Economic History Review 58(2):352-377
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced with permission of the publisher