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Sunday 4 September 2011

Arthur Siegel: Women of the Home Front, Detroit, 1941


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Detroit, Michigan. Poker hand and hands of girl players
: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, Summer 1941
(Office of War Information/Farm Security Administration Collection, Library of Congress)

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Detroit, Michigan. Girls playing cards and drinking Coca Cola
: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, Summer 1941 (Office of War Information/Farm Security Administration Collection, Library of Congress)

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Detroit, Michigan. Girl putting on lipstick and another girl straightening seams on her stockings: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, Summer 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Girl picking up mail placed under door: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, Summer 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Group of girls reading their mail: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, Summer 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Back of girl's head showing her coiffure at a hair styling show: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, December 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Models and audience at a hair styling show: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, December 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Models and loving cups that they won at a hair styling show: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, December 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Women drying their hair in the beauty shop at the Crowley-Milner department store: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Salesman demonstrating mattress to woman shopper at the Crowley-Milner department store: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Salesmen demonstrating refrigerators to women shoppers at the Crowley-Milner department store: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Towel department at the Crowley-Milner department store: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Sheet department at the Crowley-Milner department store: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Corset department at the Crowley-Milner department store: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Radio broadcast in the Crowley-Milner department store: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Women waiting in line to pay bills at the charge account window of the Crowley-Milner department store: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Class for telephone operators at the Crowley-Milner department store: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Class for receivers of telephone orders at the Crowley-Milner department store: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941

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Detroit, Michigan.
Telephone operator taking telephone orders at the Crowley-Milner department store: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Executive at the Crowley-Milner department store
: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Sign in the window of the Crowley-Milner department store: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941

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Detroit, Michigan. Head of the art department with new model at the Crowley-Milner department store: photo by Arthur S. Siegel, July 1941


Photos by Arthur S. Siegel from Office of War Information/Farm Security Administration Collection, Library of Congress

6 comments:

Ed Baker said...

hey
I spotted a black person !

she's in the "pay the bill" line

heck
when did black folks move to Detroit ?

surely not to work for Henry !

Delia Psyche said...

These women look great in their old Edward Hopper outfits. So feminine.

STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...

Tom,

Pretty racy stuff in the Motor City (especially that last one?). . . .

9.4

grey whiteness of fog against invisible
ridge, two crows calling back and forth
in foreground, wave sounding in channel

sort of “physics” of matter,
composition “abstract”

as such, which departs into
strange, blue present

grey white of fog reflected in channel,
cormorant flapping across toward ridge

TC said...

My sentiments egg-zackly, on all counts.

On a gunmetal grey Depression morning of unusually light rush hour traffic and a fine misting rain, here... while... yes...

those rutting stags on the wall perhaps the er "objective correlative" of the "mind set" -- ?? -- of the head of the art department, there...

sort of [the] “physics” of [the] matter...?

(Wandered in the fog up past the ramshackle haunted-chateau-on-the-hill above the gargoyle- fountain Circle, where a mother deer and offspring were browsing in the overgrowth, visible through the broken slats in the ghostly fence...)

ACravan said...

These photos, in their faded b&w glory, are national treasures. And, as Steve observed, great, great finale.

TC said...

Thank you, Curtis, I always appreciate your good eye.

That poor model, armless, defenseless.