This was also the term for
prostitutes in the early days in
Seattle. Techincally,
prostitution was
illegal, while being a seamstress was perfectly legit.
However, the vast majority of the seamstresses (except for one or two), all lived on the same street in Pioneer Square. These seamstresses also provided the majority of the tax revenue for the city. The largest gift ever to the Seattle public schools was even by a seamstress, although this gift was not publicly acknowledged until recently.