It’s common to deride the “buggy whip makers” as a class of businesses that couldn’t hack the technological disruption caused by the introduction of the automobile. The once-vibrant whip business run over by the internal combustion engine’s power. The horror! Is there no respect for the past?

Anyway, I was researching Louisville in the mid-19th century — John Etzler tried out his “burning mirror” concept outside town — when I stumbled across a list of the occupations of all the white, free men in a 1852 history of the city. To my surprise, way down at the bottom of the list, we find that there were only three whip makers out of the 15,159 workers in the city. Three! Not much of an industry to destroy.

Far more important to the horse and human transportation system of the city were the 95 hackmen who drove the buggies, the 43 livery stable keepers, 15 feed dealers, and 452 cartmen. Why don’t they get to be the butt of any jokes?

The whip maker industry was about the size of the artificial flower makers (2), stereotypers (3), comb makers (3), egg packers (4), surgical instrument makers (4), and bird stuffers (2). The buggy whip makers were dwarfed by the dageurreotypists, twenty-three of whom plied their trade in Louisville.

Unrelatedly, the list of the professions that employed a single person is wonderful.

• Cement Maker
• Distiller
• Glass Stainer
• Iron Safe Maker
• Lightning Rod Maker
• Pickle Dealer
• Telescopic Instrument Maker
• Wall Paper Maker

That’s a lot more interesting set of professions than the most popular professions: laborers, clerks, carpenters, students, grocers, cartmen, tailors, and foundrymen. It pays to specialize, I suppose.

The full list of professions, alphabetized, is after the jump.