[Student auto mechanics learning to repair a car engine, New York]

Millions of American men served in the army during World War II, resulting in the unprecedented participation of American women in a wide range of trades and occupations previously closed to them, including jobs in manufacturing, heavy industry, engineering, and transportation that were often critical to the war effort. Images of American women shown working in fields traditionally associated with men were widely circulated by government agencies and advertising companies. These images, including the iconic depiction of “Rosie the Riveter,” exulted the glamorous, virtuous, and patriotic work of wartime women. Vishniac’s documentation of these workers, never before printed or published, was included in his series “The Face of America at War.”