'English Women of Gentle Birth at work in munition factory' print

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c. 1915

Overview

Greyscale print showing four young women looking directly at the camera. They are wearing an assortment of dresses and coveralls and caps to cover their hair. They are standing behind a large timber bench upon which are three extremely large munition shells. There is a blackboard behind them with words, numbers and symbols written in chalk. There is also a sign indicating what will happen in the event of an air raid.
Underneath the print is the title 'English Women of Gentle Birth at work in munition factory'.

Historical information

During World War One, it was important to keep factories that produced munitions operating 7 days per week, sometimes 24 hours per day. The shifts could be as long as 12 hours, so it wasn't possible for workers to maintain this for the seven days of the week. This is where the "women of gentle birth' came in. Women from higher socio-economic classes would take some shifts while the regular workers had time off.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-119-RoW00223

Item type

Collectibles

Ephemera

Prints

Themes

Social History
War and Conflict
War and Conflict > World War 1

Material

Ink

Printing Paper