Women Who Came To The Front Case Study

Compare and Contrast: Women Who Came to the Front
Esther Reich
Chamberlain College of Nursing
[e-mail]
HIST-410N 60452: Contemporary History
Fall B, 2014

The library of Congress Exhibition on Woman, has eight stories of courageous woman “who came to the front” during World War II, and shared their experiences. After reading about all eight woman I have chosen to do my compare and contrast case study on three woman who used photography to tell their stories. These three women, Toni Frissell, Therese Bonney, and Esther Bubley were able to connect with millions of people through the images that they documented. Utilizing their use of photography, they enabled others to not only read their story, but to truly experience it through visual documentation. They differ, however, in the types of photographs they took.
Toni Frissell (1907-1988), was part of a cadre of women who left fashion photography and women’s journals to cover the war at the front, sending back some of the more personal and touching images we remember. Toni Frissell volunteered her photography
during World War II to the American Red Cross, Women’s Air Corps, and the Eighth Army Air Force. Through her pictures we see nurses performing their duties, soldiers at the front line, and the daily struggles of African Americans and women in the war. Some of her most poignant photos, include children who were left devastated and shocked; with many becoming orphans. One of Toni Frissell’s famous images is of an abandoned boy clutching a stuffed animal amid the rubble of 1945 London (Library of Congress, n.d.).
Therese Bonney (1894-1978), is best known for her photography illustrating the effects of war on children. Her pictures really caught the essence of how the damages of war affected innocent children who were left homeless and had to struggle for food and water. Therese Bonney made it her mission to tell the truth of what she saw not only through her words but through her photography as well. She was able to accomplish this by recording and photographing entire communities: their families, customs and industries, artists and politicians, and their churches and schools. Taken as a whole, the Bonney collection shows not only the horrors of war but the hopes and perseverance of those who lived through it (Library of Congress, n.d.).
Esther Bubley (1921-1998), focused mainly on the American home front as the nation mobilized for war.
She preferred to focus on average Americans not just on military and political events overseas. Her photography showcased civilians around the nation’s capital working with the military to achieve the common goal of winning the war and supporting the troops. Bubley was recruited into the Office of War Information and was sent on a cross country bus trip. It was during this time that she produced hundreds of images of a nation transitioning from the Great Depression to a time of war (Library of Congress, n.d.).
Toni Frissell, Therese Bonney, and Esther Bubley all used their love of photography to capture many different great images during World War II. It is through these images, that we are able to get a glimpse of the tragedy, courage, and heroism that took place during that
time.

References
Library of Congress. (n.d.). Women Come to the Front: Toni Frissell. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0008.html
Library of Congress. (n.d.). Women Come to the Front: Therese Bonney. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0007.html
Library of Congress. (n.d.). Women Come to the Front: Esther Bubley. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0012.html