Toni Frissell was an American photographer known for her fashion photography in such magazines as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. She often placed her subjects in outdoor settings to emphasize the idea of active and able women. After becoming frustrated with fashion photography and wanting to prove herself as a real photojournalist, Frissell volunteered her services to the American Red Cross in 1941. Later she worked for the Eighth Army Air Force and became the official photographer of the Women's Army Corps. On their behalf, she took thousands of images of nurses, front-line soldiers, African-American airmen and orphaned children. She traveled to the European front twice, and her moving photographs of military women and the Tuskegee Airmen were used to encourage public support for women and blacks in the service.

In the 1950s, Frissell focused her talents on portraiture, taking photographs of the famous and powerful in the United States and Europe. Sitting in front of her lens were such figures as Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt and John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy. She was even the first woman on staff of "Sports Illustrated," which allowed her to continue with her interest in active women and sports.

The Library is home to the Tony Frissell collection, which includes her papers and countless photographic images, some of which have been digitized and are accessible online. Frissell is also a featured photographer in the "Women Come to the Front: Journalists, Photographers and Broadcasters During World War II" exhibition. This online presentation features eight women who exemplify the strength and character of the women's wartime movement.