About the Project
The WWII Home Front Pin-Up Project originated when Hannah Freeman became interested in WWII home front history but found stories from pin-up girls in history books seriously lacking. No scholar has made the effort to contact the women who took pin-up photographs during the war to ask them why they took these pictures, how they saw pin-up imagery in the world around them, or how posing for pin-up photographs made them feel.
Until now.
This project aims to bring WWII pin-up girls’ stories to the historical narrative. Pin-up imagery was prominent and celebrated during the war, but few scholars have taken note of how many American women interacted with and partook in this phenomenon. This absence in our history books should be filled.
Hannah hopes to interview women who took pin-up photographs during WWII. These interviews can be in-person oral history interviews or online interviews for those who would prefer. She will also collect pin-up photographs of American women from family members and loved ones who would like their pin-up girl included in the project. Hannah will utilize these interviews and photographs in her Master’s Thesis (to be completed in Fall 2019) to compare pin-up girls’ and Rosie the Riveters’ experiences during World War II.
Until now.
This project aims to bring WWII pin-up girls’ stories to the historical narrative. Pin-up imagery was prominent and celebrated during the war, but few scholars have taken note of how many American women interacted with and partook in this phenomenon. This absence in our history books should be filled.
Hannah hopes to interview women who took pin-up photographs during WWII. These interviews can be in-person oral history interviews or online interviews for those who would prefer. She will also collect pin-up photographs of American women from family members and loved ones who would like their pin-up girl included in the project. Hannah will utilize these interviews and photographs in her Master’s Thesis (to be completed in Fall 2019) to compare pin-up girls’ and Rosie the Riveters’ experiences during World War II.
How You Can Help
Share your story! Whether you have your experiences or a photograph of a loved one to share, you can contribute to this project. We can fill this gap in the historical narrative.
If you would like to fill out the Online Pin-Up Interview and/or submit a photograph to the project, go to Share Your Story.
If you would like to inquire about an in-person Oral History Pin-Up Interview, go to Contact.
If you would like to fill out the Online Pin-Up Interview and/or submit a photograph to the project, go to Share Your Story.
If you would like to inquire about an in-person Oral History Pin-Up Interview, go to Contact.
The People Behind the Project
Hannah Freeman – UNK MA Student
Dr. David Vail – Thesis Advisor
Dr. David Vail – Thesis Advisor
About Hannah
Hannah Freeman is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in History at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK). She earned an Associate in Arts degree from Metropolitan Community College: Kansas City (MCCKC) in 2014 and a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree (History minor) from the University of Missouri: Kansas City (UMKC) in 2016. During her undergraduate studies, Freeman focused her research on modern American women’s history (particularly the evolution of women’s swimwear) and Kansas City history. She was awarded several scholarships while an undergraduate student, including the Missouri Bright Flight Scholarship, the Jeremiah Dawson Nail Memorial Scholarship, and the Nell Jean Sayler Querl Scholarship. Freeman made UMKC history as the university’s first fully online History minor. Now at UNK, Freeman’s research interests have both broadened and specialized. Some of her recent work includes “Girlhood – Growing Up in the Great Depression: A Midwestern Experience” – a case study on small-town life during the Great Depression and “Missouri to Iraq and Back Again: A Soldier’s Reflections” – an exploration of the relationship between warfare and the environment in the Iraq War through the eyes of one soldier. Freeman’s upcoming thesis, to be completed in fall 2019, explores the connections between female defense workers and pin-up girls with women’s patriotism and empowerment during World War II. Following the completion of her degree, Freeman plans to teach history courses online at the college level. She hopes to work with nontraditional students and share with them the beautiful, messy nature of the past.
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About Dr. Vail
David Vail is an associate professor of history at UNK. He grew up in Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley and spent much of his youth exploring the state's mountains and wilderness areas. He holds a BA from Southern Oregon University, an MA from Utah State University, and a PhD from Kansas State University. Dr. Vail’s specializations include Environmental and Agricultural History, Science and Technology, the Great Plains, and Public History. He has published articles in academic journals such as Kansas History, Endeavour (History of Science), and Middle West Review. Dr. Vail’s forthcoming book (Spring 2018), Chemical Lands: Pesticides, Aerial Spraying, and Health in North America's Grasslands Since 1945, is an environmental-agricultural-technological history of aerial pesticide application, agricultural science and food production in North America’s grasslands.
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For more information, see Dr. Vail’s website - https://www.davidvail.net