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July 1942. "Production of aircraft engines at Melrose Park Buick plant near Chicago. Hundreds of gears pass through the expert hands of Dorothy Miller and Sylvia Dreiser during their eight-hour working day in a large Midwest aircraft plant. Inspection of these vital cogs in America's war machine is a delicate task and one which requires infinite patience and precision." Medium format negative by Ann Rosener for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Here's my grandfather Jean Klossner in 1932 at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. From 1927 until 1962 he placed dozens of movie stars' hand and foot prints in the forecourt on Hollywood Boulevard. His "special" formula cement was never duplicated.
I can't make out what is on her button. Can anyone?
[BUICK MOTOR DIVISION. - Dave]
Those look like gears in the accessory section of a Pratt&Whitney R-1830. These same engines are installed on our B-24 and have the Buick logo stamped on the nose case.
I like the small "V" pin being worn by the lady on the right.
Man, those women are lit up and I don't mean drunk.
It looks like Dorothy and Sylvia needn't use moisturizer as their hands look well catered for with the machine oil.
Nice detail in this photo such as the lads lurking in the background and also a nice touch from these ladies with their supportive lapel pins.
Indeed this would have been a great pic to see in colour.
The one with the glasses seems involved with her task but the one on the left looks like she's daydreaming about something else.
I was a summer worker in the then International Harvester plant. The plant had the old style creosote soaked wood block floor which got pretty messed up a few times in the 60's due to floods. The blocks were laid on a concrete floor. Great to work on since they were softer than crete. Swelling due to water would blow the floor apart in some areas. Instead of lockers you brought in a lock and used to to secure the chain/pully controlling a metal basket hoisted up to the ceiling in the non-locker room.
probably wouldn't miss a thing. But Sylvia looks as if her mind is a million miles away.
Not something I would like to do--so repetitious. I am very intrigued by the fluid on their hands. Oil? Water? Any ideas out there in Shorpy Nation about the substance?
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