Women in World State of war I -- Women's Uniforms

Women'south Uniforms

The Slap-up War saw tens of thousands of women, American and otherwise, don uniforms to have on their state of war work.  What is and so hitting about the uniforming of American women during Earth War I is that it occurred in all parts of women's war efforts. Whether fastened to the military or to voluntary organizations, working in factories, on farms, or filling in other occupations as men left for overseas service, women wore uniforms. Women'due south uniforms of World War I fall into three primary categories: suits (including jacket and brim), breeches or overalls, and dresses and aprons.  These uniforms could be handmade or store-bought.  The design of these uniforms was influenced greatly by men's armed forces uniforms, American and Allied, as evidenced by the strikingly military style of the women's uniforms.  Other influences included Allied women's uniforms and women'southward civilian apparel in the United States.

The motivations backside the adoption of uniforms and their specific styles are varied.  For women fastened to the armed forces, such every bit the Navy's Yeomen (F), uniforms were role and parcel of military machine life.  For others, especially factory workers and motor corps drivers, the change from traditional female person garb to uniforms was simply a matter of practicality—women needed to wear dress that were less restricting but even so respectable, so uniforms modeled on armed forces styles were a perfect option.  Wearing uniforms also created and bolstered morale among organizations and groups of women, besides equally engendering a feeling of self-worth and an established identity.  Perhaps most importantly, the adoption of uniforms demanded attention and respect from the women's fellow citizens.  Women felt that the uniforms visibly validated their volunteer work and their accomplishments as actively engaged citizens, thus pushing the calendar of equal rights and the vote for women.  This push for equal recognition was further aided by the uniforms' echoes of men'south armed services wearing apparel, which helped suppress gender distinctions by aligning women more closely to the masculine values of the war machine.  Women'southward highly visible and recognized wartime service, facilitated past their adoption of uniforms, ultimately contributed to their attainment of the right to vote in 1920.

About Our Collection

Our museum holds a vast drove of women'south uniforms from World War I, several of which are featured beneath.  About i-fourth of the uniforms in this collection were donated by the National Social club of the Colonial Dames of America and worn past Society members during the war.  After the end of Globe War I, a Society member suggested to its president, Mrs. Joseph R. Lamar, that it would be wise to preserve the uniforms that women had worn during the conflict.  At the fourth dimension, the Smithsonian'due south United States National Museum was collecting artifacts from the war to go on brandish in the Arts and Industries Building.  Carolyn Gilbert Benjamin, the Society's Chair of the Committee on Relics, worked from 1919 to 1922 to bring together the collection of Colonial Dames uniforms and have them sent to the U.S. National Museum for display.  Donations as well came from exterior the Colonial Dames, from organizations such every bit the American Red Cantankerous, the U.Southward. Navy, and the YMCA, besides every bit from individuals.

  • (Left to Right): Motor Sectionalization Uniform, National League for Woman's Service (NLWS); Motor Corps Helm'due south Uniform, NLWS; Uniform of Major on Staff and Supervisor of Instruction, First National Service School; American Friends Service Committee Uniform

  • (Left to Right): Uniform of US Women Executives, American Carmine Cross (ARC); Compatible of Red Cantankerous Workers in France; Field Director's Uniform, ARC

  • (Left to Correct) Motor Service Uniform, American Fund for French Wounded (AFFW); AFFW Compatible; War Camp Community Service Uniform

  • ((Left to Right) Overseas Uniform, YMCA Adult female's Partition; US Uniform, YMCA Woman'due south Division; Canteen Uniform, YMCA; American Library Association Compatible

  • (Left to Right): Compatible of Kickoff Vice President of National State of war Work Quango, YWCA; Overseas Compatible, YWCA; The states Uniform, YWCA

  • (Left to Right): National Cosmic State of war Council Uniform; Bottle Uniform, League of Catholic Women; Knights of Columbus Uniform

  • (Left to Correct): Emergency Aid of Pennsylvania Uniform; Emergency Help Aide Service of Pennsylvania Uniform; National League for Woman'southward Service (NLWS) Uniform; Uniform of 1st Lieutenant, NLWS Junior Corps

  • (Left to Right): General's Uniform, Conservancy Army; U.s.a. Uniform, Salvation Army; Overseas Uniform, Salvation Regular army

  • (Left to Right): Woman'south Land Regular army of America Uniform; Chief Operator'south Uniform, US Army Betoken Corps Telephone Unit; Enlisted Woman's Winter Field Uniform, Usa Marine Corps

  • (Left to Correct): Enlisted Adult female's Uniform, US Marine Corps (USMC); Enlisted Woman's Summer Field Uniform, USMC; Yeoman (F) Winter Compatible, US Navy (USN); Yeoman (F) Summertime Uniform, USN

  • (Left to Right): Main Yeoman (F) Winter Uniform, The states Navy; Blueish Outdoor Uniform, U.s.a. Navy Nurse Corps (NNC); White Hospital Compatible, United states NNC

  • (Left to Correct): Emergency Fleet Corporation Uniform, United states Aircraft Board; Jewish Welfare Board Compatible; French Red Cross Uniform

  • (Left to Right): Contract Surgeon Uniform, U.s. Regular army; U.s. Army Nurse Corps (ANC) Compatible; United states of america ANC Overcoat; Usa ANC Uniform

  • (Left to Correct): Uniform of Woman's Land Regular army of Hamilton Canton, Ohio; Bottle Captain's Uniform; National Land Army of Ohio Uniform

  • (Left to Right): Uniform of Matrons in The states Convalescent Hospitals, American Cherry Cross; Emergency Canteen Service Compatible; Nurse's Aide Uniform, University of Pennsylvania Hospital

  • (Left to Right): Uniform of Matrons in Usa Convalescent Hospitals, American Red Cross; Emergency Bottle Service Uniform; Nurse's Aide Compatible, University of Pennsylvania Hospital

  • (Left to Right): Nurse's Outdoor Uniform, American Red Cross (ARC); Nurse'due south Ward Uniform, ARC; Dietitian's Compatible; ARC

  • (Left to Right): Motor Corps Driver'due south Uniform, American Ruby Cantankerous (ARC); Motor Corps Driver's Uniform, ARC; Motor Corps Driver's Overcoat, ARC; Foreign Service Uniform, ARC

Over sixty uniforms from Earth War I went on display in the Arts and Industries Building in the early 1920s, photographs from which y'all tin can encounter in the slideshow in a higher place, and they remained on brandish until 1929.  The uniforms were taken out of the showroom space to brand room for objects "of very much greater value," in the stance of the curator.1  The Smithsonian kept the uniforms in storage, while the National Society of the Colonial Dames searched for some other venue in which to showroom the uniforms.  Ultimately, unable to find a new place to exhibit the uniforms, the Society decided to continue them in storage at the Smithsonian and officially donated them to the National Museum of American History in 1998.

Our collections practice non have uniforms representative of every organization or wartime occupation of women.  For example, they lack uniforms of women munitions and manufacturing plant workers and those of women working other jobs like mailmen and policemen.  However, the collections provide an insightful wait into the way in which women contributed to the war effort and distinguished themselves equally invaluable American citizens.

Please annotation that we are in the process of photographing these uniforms and will add them to this folio equally they are fix, so check back often.

Further Resource

Barton C. Hacker, "Women in compatible, Globe War I edition," O Say Can You Run across? Stories from the National Museum of American History (web log), September 8, 2011.

Barton C. Hacker and Margaret Vining, "Uniforms Make the Adult female," in Materializing the War machine, vol. 5 of Artefacts: Military Technology, ed. Bernard Finn and Barton C. Hacker (London: Science Museum Press, 2005), 65–76.

"Founding Fragments—WWI Woman'southward Uniform," National Museum of American History, YouTube video, 5:xi.

Kimberly Jenson, "Volunteers, Auxiliaries, and Women's Mobilization: The Get-go World State of war and Beyond (1914–1939)," in A Companion to Women's Military History, ed. Barton C. Hacker and Margaret Vining (Boston: Brill, 2012), 189–231.

Nathaniel Patch, "The Story of the Female Yeomen during the First Earth War," Prologue Magazine 38, no. 3 (Fall 2006).

Vivian Lea Young, "'Petticoats Are Part of this Compatible': American Women Volunteers of the Start World State of war and Their Uniforms" (K.A. thesis, George Washington Academy, 1987).

"World War I," History and Collections, Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation, Inc.

"Earth War I: Women and the War," History & Collections, Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation, Inc.

ane Barton C. Hacker and Margaret Vining, "Uniforms Brand the Woman," in Materializing the Armed forces, vol. 5 of Artefacts: War machine Technology, ed. Bernard Finn and Barton C. Hacker (London: Scientific discipline Museum Press, 2005), 72.

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