Women and the War Effort

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Cover illustration for the
Saturday Evening Post,
September 4, 1943
Color photomechanical print
General Collections (71.3)

During World War II the U.S. government mounted an extensive propaganda campaign encouraging women to join the war effort. In the fall of 1943, the Office of War Information mounted the "Women in Necessary Services" campaign. The Saturday Evening Post enlisted Norman Rockwell to create a cover for its Labor Day issue. His illustration shows a woman clad in red, white, and blue and encumbered with the accouterments of defense work, including air raid warning equipment.