Textile spinning hall

Working barefoot in the spinning halls was standard: the floor, soaked by the macerazione baths and the steam, would have ruined shoes, and shoes — when they were owned at all — were a capital good kept for Sundays.

Constant humidity, alkaline processing baths and textile-dust aerosols made spinning an unhealthy trade: chronic bronchitis, dermatitis and rheumatic illness before the age of thirty were the department's signature.

In the early 20th century the working day in Lombard spinning mills was 11-12 hours, with female pay around 40% lower than male pay for equivalent work.

The 1902 Carcano law set a 12-hour maximum for women, banned night work and the employment of children under 12: in Lombard spinning mills it was unevenly observed up to the 1930s.