Description
Original WWI “Back Our Girls Over There” Y.W.C.A. Poster by Clarence F. Underwood
Overview
Iconic Y.W.C.A. recruitment poster for the United War Work Campaign featuring a “Hello Girl” Signal Corps telephone operator at a military switchboard. Artist Clarence F. Underwood’s powerful composition shows a uniformed woman managing communications while soldiers march to battle. Original linen-backed chromolithograph in good condition.
Historical Significance
This poster honors the “Hello Girls”—approximately 223 female Signal Corps operators who wore military uniforms, followed military law, yet remained classified as civilian employees. These women provided essential telecommunications support for American Expeditionary Forces in Europe, their switchboard skills critical to military coordination. Underwood’s composition elevates their invisible labor to patriotic visibility, appealing for civilian financial support via the Y.W.C.A.
Historical Context: “Hello Girls”
Signal Corps telephone operators were civilian women employed by the U.S. Army during World War I. Though wearing military uniforms and subject to military discipline, they remained officially classified as civilian employees—a status that delayed military recognition and benefits for decades. Their switchboard work was essential to coordinating troop movements, supply lines, and command communications across the American Expeditionary Forces.
- Central Figure: Young woman in military-style uniform at control panel switchboard
- Background: Soldiers advancing into battle with distant explosions
- Composition: Woman’s focused concentration juxtaposed with masculine military action
- Message: Female technical expertise equals military contribution
- Y.W.C.A. Logo: Prominent triangle symbol uniting civilian support with military necessity
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