21 May, 2008

World War I scrapbook discovery sheds light on women's emancipation

A post World War I scrapbook which has come into my possession may be of interest to researchers into the early days of Feminism during and after the First World War.

It is well-known that women were encouraged to step into men's jobs when servicemen were deployed abroad to fight. When the men returned in 1919, tacit pressure was put on the women to retreat to the kitchen. This unearthed scrapbook personalises and encapsulates that process in a fondly annotated photographic essay of some women propelled for the first time into the Armed Services, not to mention a greater sense of self-worth and personal independence.

To see more, click here (page opens in a new window).

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