Although there are fewer pictures of people at work than on holiday or on a special occasion, the archive of family photographs nevertheless gives valuable insight into aspects of people's working lives. They reveal something of the conditions in which people worked, the machinery and equipment they used, and the types of goods which were produced. The photographs also show many people at work in occupations which once employed thousands, but have now all but vanished. 

Most of the photographs are taken inside mills, factories, workshops or offices. However, there are also some taken inside the studio, where men and sometimes women would be photographed wearing the dress or the uniform of their trade or occupation.

Many of the people who donated copies of their family albums of the DPA spoke of the popularity of "photographic clubs" which were organised to help people save for a visit to the studio. A group of individuals, usually 12-15 in number, would agree to pay a proportion of the cost each week, usually threepence or sixpence. When enough money had been raised to pay for the cost of the photograph, there would be a lottery to decide whose turn it was to go into the studio. This meant that the cost was spread over a number of weeks, and this helped helped in particular the poorer workers.

It is interesting to note how many of these photographs contain women at work, sometimes in places which many might now find surprising, such as at the coal face.