TWO NEW CYBER EXHIBITIONS LAUNCH ON NWHM WEB SITE

Over the summer of 2006, NWHM launched two cyber exhibits, one examining the history of the woman suffrage movemetn and the other looking at women's role during World War II.

For Equality Day, the NWHM proudly launches the cyber-exhibit Rights for Women: The Suffrage Movement and Its Leaders. This exhibit explores the history of the woman suffrage movement. "Rights for Women" chronicles the movements from its origins in 1848 when supporters held the first women's rights convention in Seneca Fall, New York through the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.  In addition to chronicling this history, "Rights for Women" includes biographies of suffrage leaders, including philosophers, organizers, financiers, and lobbyists.  Through its narrative, photographs, and historical documents, "Rights for Women" demonstrates that the woman suffrage movement was a large-scale, well-organized political and social movement, successful in peacefully winning the largest extension of democratic rights in our nation's history.  The exhibit is based on a temporary exhibit NWHM produced in 1998 that was displayed at the New York World Financial Center. Edith Mayo, NWHM Curatorial Consultant and Curator Emeritus of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, curated the original exhibit and NWHM summer intern Kristina Gupta curated the on-line exhibit.

Cyber-exhibit Partners in Winning the War: American Women in World War II, examines women's varied roles and significant contributions during World War II through photographs, advertisements, posters and brochures of the era.  The exhibit shows how women helped the war effort through their service as members of the military, government office workers, Red Cross medical personnel, scientists, factory and shipyard workers (including the iconic Rosie the Riveter), and volunteers who planted Victory Gardens, boosted troop moral, participated in rationing and scrap metal drives, raised money for the war effort, and kept their families together.  The exhibit also includes several short biographies of important women of the era.  Through the images and text of the exhibit, viewers can gain a better appreciation for the sacrifices and hard work of women across the nation during World War II.  The on-line exhibit is a close reproduction of a temporary exhibit also called "Partners" that NWHM offered during 2004-05 to provide the missing half of American history to complement the inauguration of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. NWHM Spring 2006 Intern Reagan Bussells took the lead on curating the on-line exhibit.

 

 

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