The word ‘lector’ usually makes us think of
university lecturers and public speakers, but in the 1900s, a
lector was actually a form of entertainment. A factory lector
was employed to entertain workers in cigar factories by reading
out loud, usually newspapers and sometimes novels. The
profession started in Cuba, later becoming more prominent in New
York and Florida.
Life in a cigar factory was mostly manual labor, such as rolling
cigars by hand, so the lectors proved to be good for the morale
of workers. The employees would pool money together to help pay
the lector’s salary. Lectors had a huge influence on the
workers, providing an education for them through their reading.
Lectors were eventually replaced by radios during the 1920’s.