Lauren Zurchin came through Chicago and we had some fun doing a photo shoot. There are more photos, so this is just a teaser.
One of the interesting things about a lot of the volunteer groups in WWI was that they had to wear a uniform, but they also had to supply it. This meant that there was some variation in what people wore within certain parameters. The hat that I’ve got on? Someone who didn’t have Ginger’s means wouldn’t have trimmed it and she likely wouldn’t have worn it to the London Branch, but might have worn it to a hospitality tent.
Incidentally, the requirement to provide one’s own uniform was a not-so-subtle way of enforcing class lines. It meant that only a woman of means could join the Women’s Auxiliary Corps and kept out shop girls and the like. If they wanted to help with the war effort, they wound up in ammunition packing plants or doing heavy labor on the home front because they couldn’t afford to a) have a custom suit made and b) take unpaid time off work.
The WAC wanted only nice girls from good families. This kind of barrier still exists today as a way of keeping out undesirables while still being able to claim, on the face of things, that opportunities are open to all.
I’d love to see you thusly attired when you come to NerdCom: Stories in October! You are so danged classy!