Women in the Second World War - Essay Example

Great Women of the Second World War Women have been involved in the artistic, amateur, and professional development of photography over time. In the past these women served as photographic helpers in the studios of their husbands. Upon the death of their husband, the wife frequently took over of the business as a means of subsistence for herself. Because equipment was uncomfortable and heavy to transport, numerous women chose to stay in the studio. They would usually dedicate themselves to portraiture of children and women, permitted themes for women to practice.

Three of the most renowned women for their photography during World War Two were Therese Bonney, Toni Frissell, and Janet Flanner. This essay will compare and contrast the wartime experiences of these three great women. Therese Bonney achieved world fame as a photo journalist during the Second World War. She is greatly popular for her work which revealed the havocs of war on an innocent group of people. She initially acquired attention for her revelation of the war between Russia and Finland.

Being the only correspondent who was there, she had the whole account to herself and was honored with the White Rose of Finland for her courage. Throughout the Second World War she toured all over western Europe capturing the miseries of the affected children in her photographs which she soon after included in her master work ‘Europe’s Children’. It was her objective to aid in building international ties between European populations, specifically the Americans and French. She also joined the Red Cross campaigns throughout France.

She was grandly celebrated in the United States and Europe. Just like Bonney, Toni Frissell became a major female figure in photo journalism during the World War II. She voluntarily shared her photographic talents to the American Red Cross in 1941. Afterward she served the Eight Army Air Force and became the certified photo journalist of the Women’s Army Corps. She photographed a vast number of images of soldiers, nurses, and abandoned children for the services of the aforementioned organizations.

Her moving pictures of African American air fighters and military women were employed to promote public support and sympathy for African-American and women in the service. Her only difference with Bonney is the extent of her fame. She is widely known locally but she did not achieve the same international fame that Bonney achieved. Meanwhile, a remarkable woman who became renowned during World War II, Janet Flanner, raised her name to the pedestal through writing. Janet Flanner, instead of following the footsteps of her mother as a stage actress, desired to become a writer.

She became successful in her aspiration, becoming a foundation of one of the most trusted magazines in America, The New Yorker. For 50 years, she created a large number of words as the journalist for Paris. She outlined sketches of prominent personalities in her Letter From Paris such as Charles de Gaulle, Albert Camus, and Pablo Picasso. William Shawn, the editor of The New Yorker during that time, characterized Janet as a ‘poet’. These women share similar stories of ambition, courage, and triumph.

The Second World War opened an opportunity for them to become known and respected in a highly patriarchal world. ReferencesLibrary of Congress. (2010). Women Come to the Front: Journalists, Photographers, and Broadcasters During World War II. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/.