American Women Camouflage Exhibition

American involvement in World War I increased the military's need for support personnel. The US navel Reserve Act of 1916 permitted the enlistment of qualified "persons" for service in the navy. Unable to meet the demand by recruiting men exclusively, the Secretary of the Navy determined that women could also apply. This decision enabled the enlistment of the first female sailors in the US Naval Reserve, among them a small number of African-American women, the first to be allowed to participate in any of the American armed forces.

During World War I, US Navy women were stationed around the continental US and in France, Guam and Hawaii. Formally designated as Yeomen (F), they were also sometimes referred to as Yeomanettes or Yeowomen. They served primarily as clerical staff, but also as radio operators, electricians, draftsmen, pharmacists, photographers, telegraphers, fingerprint experts, chemists, torpedo assemblers-and as camouflage artists. The forty photographs in this exhibition are limited to the camouflage activities of American women during WWI. The original photographs are in the collections of the Library of Congress (LOC Prints and Photographs) and the National Archives and Research Administration (NARA). The exhibited prints have been digitally modified (dust and scratches removed, exposure flaws adjusted, with minor cropping) and were reproduced as enlarged high resolution images by the exhibition's curator, UNI Emeritus Professor Roy R. Behrens.

As seen installation views and banners, these were first publicly shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018, in an exhibition titled Hidden Figures.

Related collections by Roy Behrens located in UNI ScholarWorks:

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01. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, Exhibition Banner, 2017-18

2017

Alt Text: A vertical exhibit banner composed of several photographs. The banner is made up of photographs in mostly brown colors with a white background and with black text.

Description: Exhibition banner for the exhibition entitled "Hidden Figures" shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018.
02. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, Exhibition Entrance, 2017-18

2017

Alt Text: Photograph of the main exhibit banner next to a framed wall exhibit with description in the foreground with a row of framed wall exhibits with a bank of overhead lights located in the background.

Description: Photo of the exibition entrance for the exhibition entitled "Hidden Figures" shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018.
03. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, Exhibition Title, 2017-18

2017

Alt Text: Graphic of a seated woman working on a model ship set on a white background with black text.

Description: Exhibition title graphic for the exhibition entitled "Hidden Figures" shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018.
04. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, How Camouflage Works, 2017-18 [poster]

2017

Alt Text: Poster graphic with several overlapping images including a standing woman with an open parosal, a butterfly, and a ship. Title text in yellow and white on a blue background.

Description: Poster for a talk by Roy R. Behrens "How Camouflage Works: The Dazzling Past and Future of Natural and Miltary Camouflage" given on May 21, 2017 at the Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.
05. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, Exhibit Panels 01-04, 2017-18

2017

Alt Text: Series of four numbered (01, 02, 03, 04) photographs with description.

Description: Panel installation part of an exhibition entitled "Hidden Figures" shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018.
06. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, Exhibit Panels 05-08, 2017-18

2017

Alt Text: Series of four numbered (05, 06, 07, 08) photographs with description.

Description: Panel installation part of an exhibition entitled "Hidden Figures" shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018.
07. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, Exhibit Panels 09-12, 2017-18

2017

Alt Text: Series of four numbered (09, 10, 11, 12) photographs with description.

Description: Panel installation part of an exhibition entitled "Hidden Figures" shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018.
08. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, Exhibit Panels 13-16, 2017-18

2017

Alt Text: Series of four numbered (13, 14, 15, 16) photographs with decriptions.

Description: Panel installation part of an exhibition entitled "Hidden Figures" shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018.
09. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, Exhibit Panels 17-20, 2017-18

2017

Alt Text: Series of four numbered (17, 18, 19, 20) photographs with decriptions.

Description: Panel installation part of an exhibition entitled "Hidden Figures" shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018.
10. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, Exhibit Panels 21-24, 2017-18

2017

Alt Text: Series of four numbered (21, 22, 23, 24) photographs with decriptions.

Description: Panel installation part of an exhibition entitled "Hidden Figures" shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018.
11. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, Exhibit Panels 25-28, 2017-18

2017

Alt Text: Series of four numbered (25, 26, 27, 28) photographs with decriptions.

Description: Panel installation part of an exhibition entitled "Hidden Figures" shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018.
12. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, Exhibit Panels 29-32, 2017-18

2017

Alt Text: Series of four numbered (29, 30, 31, 32) photographs with decriptions.

Description: Panel installation part of an exhibition entitled "Hidden Figures" shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018.
13. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, Exhibit Panels 33-36, 2017-18

2017

Alt Text: Series of four numbered (33, 34, 35, 36) photographs with decriptions.

Description: Panel installation part of an exhibition entitled "Hidden Figures" shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018.
14. American Women Camouflage Exhibition, Exhibit Panels 37-40, 2017-18

2017

Alt Text: Series of four numbered (37, 38, 39, 40) photographs with decriptions.

Description: Panel installation part of an exhibition entitled "Hidden Figures" shown at the Betty Strong Encounter Center and Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in 2017 and 2018.