Some interesting World War II photographs from that great Shorpy site. Just type in the title to see the photo. These photos paint an interesting picture of the American home front. All taken by the Office of War Information (OWI).
Make sure to view photos in full size and read the comments.
CIVIL SERVANT: 1942: 1-31-13 August 1942. "Ella Watson, government chairwoman who provides for a family of six on her salary of $1,080 per year. She has been a federal employee for 26 years.
DRUDGE REPORT: 1943: 1-30-13. March 1943. "Rochester, New York. Mrs. Babcock doing the family laundry with an electric washing machine and a wringer. Ralph Amdursky, OWI.. Even the wringer is motorized. Even with a war underway, laundry at home still had to be done.
TRACKLESS TROLLEY: 1943: 1-30-13. April 1943. "Baltimore, Maryland. Rushing to catch the trackless trolley home from work at 4 p.m." Basically an electric bus. Marjory Collins (OWI). Shows two ladies walking to door of it, just off work.
Comment: In 1943, this trolley would have been one of the few non-military vehicles allowed to be built because of metal and tire shortages and rationing. Baltimore had many war production plants and always had a chronic housing shortage and a way to get the workers back and forth to work. These trolleys were also important because they didn't require gas for operation.
The War at Home. --GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
No comments:
Post a Comment