(Originally blogged November 8, 2009)
Buying images for a publication can be prohibitively expensive. I wish I had known about the Library of Congress image archives when I wrote my book Forties Fashion. They have a phenomenol collection and it’s copyright free! In keeping with Remembrance Day here are some superb images of women in factories during World War II from the Library of Congress archives. These are American images, but of course, scenes just like these were occurring around the world during the war and on both sides of the conflict.
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- A mob cap to keep hair from being caught in the machinery
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- Older women working in a rail yard wearing dungarees, turbans, and welding glasses
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- Coveralls, overalls, jumpsuits — the standard outfit for war work
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- The standard kerchief tied into a turban style
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- “Oh! Was it today the photographer was coming to take my picture?’
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- Hair nets kept hair out of harm’s way
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- Familiar work for a woman!
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- Painting was one of the few areas in factories where hair nets, turbans, or caps were not required
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- Coils of aluminum trimmed from sheet metal are playfully used as hat trim and a necklace
I enjoy looking through a post that will make men and women think.Also, thank you for allowing me to comment!