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Consider the Following

Women’s Work (WWII Style)

by Susana Polo | 10:33 am, March 6th, 2012


A group of railroad wipers shares lunch in one of a series of photos, put together by BuzzFeed, of women employed by the war effort during World War II. We’re used to seeing stuff like this in the literal black and white vision of the past, but these photos were taken for the purposes of propaganda (though all the workers are real, and doing their actual jobs) so some expense was spared to make them as vivid as possible.

We’ve posted a few more below:

What are railroad wipers, you ask? They keep giant engines full of grease and dust clean and operable.

This lady, Dorothy Cole, set up her own tin plating system in her basement, to make needles for the valves on blood transfusion bottles.

The only details we have on the following pictures is that the first two women are working on bombers.

Here, Mary Josephine Farley repairs a motor,

And here Cora Ann Bowen (left) and Eloise J. Ellis stand together. Bowen was employed as a cowler (the cowling is the cover that rests over the engine, reducing drag, directing cooling airflow, and doing a few other vital things), while Ellis was a Senior Supervisor in the Assembly and Repairs department at Corpus Christi Naval Air base in Texas.

To see all thirty pictures of working women in World War II, check out the whole post at BuzzFeed.

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  • Frodo Baggins

    The Terminator theme song spontaneously entered my head while looking at these.

  • Angel S.

    I love these WWII “women can do anything” photo spreads!  Thanks for posting this. 

  • Anonymous

     Yeah, they make me feel proud to be a technician today, following in their footsteps in my grubby black jeans :-)

  • Anonymous

    “Nobody can do it like a steam train…”

    These ladies are glorious and deserving of respect.  Have you ever tried to hold one of those power washers in place?  Tain’t easy.

    Tell me a couple of these photos don’t look like they could be working on a TARDIS.  Doesn’t that air-powered tool above look like a sonic screwdriver?

  • http://twitter.com/widowspider Rachel Grundy

    I am in love with the woman riveting sheet metal onto a bomber whilst rocking red nails and a sparkly ring. SHE IS AWESOME.

  • http://twitter.com/steviferg stevi ferg

    How the HECK did they keep those bandanas in place? I must be doing it wrong…

  • Erica Tomas

    I love these women working greasy, dirty jobs and still making sure their hair is pinned and curled.

  • Brenda Allen

    I am related to Mary Josephine Farley and love seeing this!

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