Guide to Panoramic photo of women yeomen at the Norfolk, Virginia Navy Yard C0339
Panoramic photo of women yeomen at the Norfolk, Virginia Navy Yard
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George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library, MS2FL4400 University Dr.
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Business Number: 703-993-2220
Fax Number: 703-993-8911
speccoll@gmu.edu
URL: https://scrc.gmu.edu
Amanda Menjivar
Administrative Information
Use Restrictions
Public Domain. There are no known restrictions.
Access Restrictions
Access is restricted due to physical fragility. A digital surrogate was created by Kelsey Kim in June 2023 and is available to view upon request.
Acquisition Information
Purchased by Lynn Eaton from Caroliniana Rare Books in July 2019.
Processing Information
Processing and finding aid completed by Amanda Menjivar in August 2023.
Historical Information
Yeomen (Female), also as written as "Yeomen (F)", was an enlisted rank in the United States military during World War I. Thanks to a language loophole in the Naval Act of 1916, women were allowed to officially enlist in the military for the first time. As a result, over 600 women enlisted from March - April 1917, reaching nearly 4000 by July 1919. The Yeomen, also called "Yeomenettes" mostly worked in clerical positions at Naval Yards across the United States, including the Norfolk, Virginia Naval Base.
Scope and Content
Sepia panoramic photo of women yeomen at the Norfolk, Virginia Navy Yard, January 30, 1919. Image shows three rows of women posed in uniform for the camera. An inscription reads: "Yeoman [illegible] Industrial Department of Norfolk Navy Yard[,] Norfolk VA[?,] Jan. 30, 1919[.]" According to a label on the glass, the photo was taken by G. L. Hall Optical Co from Norfolk, VA.
Arrangement
This is a single item collection.
Related Material
Naval History and Heritage Command holds materials on women Yeoman, including panoramic photographs from the Norfolk Navy Yard.
The Military Women's Memorial Collections holds material on American women's military service, including World War I women Yeomen.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Photography
- United States. Navy
- Virginia -- History
- Women and the military -- United States
Bibliography
Path, Nathaniel. "The Story of the Female Yeomen during the First World War." National Archives and Records Administration, 2006. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2006/fall/yeoman-f.html.
"World War I era Yeomen (F)." Naval History and Heritage Command, accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/people---special-topics/women-in-the-navy/world-war-i-era-yeomen--f--.html.