1A: Wongs & Gumpertzes/100 Years Apart

Apartment 1A at the Tenement Museum (97 Orchard Street, Manhattan) features the intertwined stories of the Wongs, a Chinese immigrant family, and the Gumpertz, a German family. Visitors explore how Natalie Gumpertz and Mrs. Wong navigated economic hardship and the garment industry a century apart.

Explore how immigrant women coped with economic hardship through the stories of Natalie Gumpertz and Mrs. Wong. Hear how these two women, living a century apart, shared similar struggles, hopes, and survival strategies as they made new lives while working in New York City’s garment industry. Visit the recreated 1880s tenement apartment of the Gumpertz family, whose primary breadwinner disappeared during the Panic of 1873. Then, visit an interactive 1980s Chinatown garment shop that connects you directly to the memories of Mrs. Wong, her children, and her co-workers. How did a 19th century German immigrant and a 20th century Chinese immigrant rely on their communities during hard…