Front lines of labor help win the war
Nine-photograph sheet of women at work in war plants (spark plugs, parachute flare casings, aircraft parts, a star insignia), each with a one-line caption. The plain-folks and transfer tells: ordinary workers are called a 'competent girl' and 'modern Betsy Rosses', borrowing the flag-maker's prestige for factory work.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1943
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Labor, Home front, Gender and suffrage
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
U.S. Department of Labor, Women's Bureau. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-846 (NAID 514340).
Text on the object
WOMEN'S BUREAU [seal:] DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FRONT LINES OF LABOR HELP WIN THE WAR MAKING SMALL PARTS OF GREAT ENGINES FOR MODERN WARFARE AVIATION SPARK PLUGS—VITAL LITTLE PIECES A COMPETENT GIRL DOING AN IMPORTANT JOB FOR A WHIRLWIND ENGINE THEIR PEACETIME SKILL ON TOY TRAINS IS NOW USED ON PARACHUTE FLARE CASINGS FROM SAFETY RAZORS TO "V" BLOCKS CHECKING, CHECKING. FLYERS' LIVES DEPEND ON IT DESIRE TO WORK IS DEEP-ROOTED IN WOMEN'S PATRIOTISM MODERN BETSY ROSSES WORK ON UNCLE SAM'S SYMBOL OF DEMOCRACY LOOK AHEAD, AMERICA. U. S. WINGS OF VICTORY CIRCLE THE GLOBE [imprint:] For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C., Price 10 cents [imprint:] U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1943 O - 4[illegible]9090
Small lettering on objects inside the photographs is not transcribed.
