CONTENT WARNING
Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation.
Context
American society underwent changes during both WWI and WWII. The roles of women shifted from domestic roles as caretakers and home makers to working in male- dominated fields like agriculture and manufacturing in factories. Many factories shifted from producing domestic products to manufacturing needed equipment to support the needs of the military. As part of doing their part to support the war effort, thousands of Virginia women held potions in industry and other war- related jobs which would not have been open to them before the war. As men went off to fight and the job shortage caused by the Great Depression of the 1930’s coming to an end, women had new opportunities to fill positions that would have typically been held by men. After the war ended, returning servicemen wanted to return to their previous employment and, in many cases, the women were replaced by men. Women were expected to return to their domestic roles.
The photograph shows women working in a plant on January 8, 1944 in Newport News, VA. The women worked as part of a team manufacturing hydraulic bridge parts which were to be shipped overseas during WWII. It was not uncommon for women were to be referred to as “girls” in the time period and this is reflected in the title of the photograph.
Citation: U.S. Army Signal Corps. View of Girls Processing a Hydraulic Bridge Erecting Crane, Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, 1944, Print & Photographs, Special Collections, Library of Virginia
Standards
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Look at It: Look at the photograph. What are the women doing? How are they dressed? Why might they have been photographed in this way?
Post Activities
Up for Debate: Do you think the term "girls" was appropriate for this photographer to use? Why or why not? What might the public reaction be today to such a title?
Form an Opinion: Write a journal entry as if you were one of the women who found herself out of a job when men returned home from the battlefield.
Another Perspective: You are a serviceman who has returned home and found that your job has been given to a woman. Write a letter to the company asking for your job back. Use relevant information about the roles of men and women during war time to bolster your claim.
STEM Stat: The women shown in the photograph were processing a hydraulic bridge erecting crane. The purpose of this type of crane is to allow for a bridge to be pre- assembled and them moved into place using the hydraulic erecting crane. How might this technology been helpful to US and allied troops in Europe during WW 2? Think of the geographic locations of many of the battles, the presence of bodies of water, and the importance of bridges during the war.
Citation: U.S. Army Signal Corps. View of Girls Processing a Hydraulic Bridge Erecting Crane, Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, 1944, Print & Photographs, Special Collections, Library of Virginia