On the Make

Expatriate Merchants and Partnership Formation 1840–1920: Danish Merchants in Newcastle-upon-Tyne

“…172 In Newcastle, local British merchants were more physically immersed in their familial networks than the expatriates, so the promotion of appropriate family or network members over expatriate staff was quite likely. 173 But even in these cases, wise legacy-minded businessmen, when they headed a firm strong enough to support multiple partners, promoted useful expatriate employees alongside their children. James Craig, who took over Boldemann, Borries, and Co., promoted the eminently experienced and commercially connected Lubeck-born employee Julius Trost alongside his son Herbert Craig.…”

“…Contemporary business culture promoted a career path where independent status as a merchant was the clear culmination, meaning if an employer did not provide a path to partnership, staff with strong capital reserves would look for independence elsewhere, often opening new businesses with allies from the office. 183 Gorm Lund left the office of Richard Steenberg to found his own firm, which Breyen soon joined. 184 Nielsen and Andersen had crossed paths in Christiansen, Schier, and Co. 185 Even if the new firm was formed by a former chief and a junior clerk, as was the case with Boldemann and his juniors Alexander and Borries, the existence of a positive trust relationship was very likely.…”

Tied to the Desk: The Somatic Experience of office Work, 1870–1920

“…A previous generation of male clerks defined their respectability through their domination of women, but by the turn of the twentieth century, the earning potential of women had begun to erode male clerk's supremacy. 26 Fixed in proximity by furniture, attraction and jealousy mixed as men in the office learned to adjust to women in greater control of their financial and romantic pursuits.…”