Elizabeth Nolan and friends
SubjectPortrait of
Elizabeth Ann Nolan
(American, 1924 - 2017)
PhotographerPhotographed by
Unknown
Date1944-1952
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions: 3 9/16 × 5 5/8in. (9 × 14.3cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineGift of Elizabeth Nolan Barnicle
Object number2017.55.9
DescriptionBlack and white photo in a commemorative cardboard frame of three women posing in a life-size cutout of two hula dancers at Goman's Gay 90s Nightclub in San Francisco. The three women are standing behind the cutout, Elizabeth Nolan stands at right with two unidentified women to her left. The life-sized cutout is painted to depict two women wearing short grass skirts, a strapless bikini top, and lei necklaces and bracelets in a hula pose, the background is a beach scene with palm trees. The tan cardboard commemorative frame features a black and silver art deco style border. “GAY 90’S STUDIO” is printed on the frame above the photograph. “International Settlement. / The Old Barbary Coast / San Francisco Calif.” is printed on the frame below the photograph.
NotesSubject Note: During WWII, women were eager to get involved in the war effort. Despite political resistance from those who believed women had no place in the Navy, President Roosevelt passed the Navy Women’s Reserve Act into law on July 30, 1942, creating the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). This opened up new opportunities for women, allowing them to work as aviation mechanics, photographers, control tower operators, and parachute riggers. Although WAVES were not allowed to serve aboard combat ships or aircraft, these women were stationed at 900 shore stations in the continental U.S., later expanding to Alaska and Hawaii. By the end of WWII, more than 84,000 women had served in the WAVES. After the war, Congress passed a law allowing women to gain permanent status in all branches of the U.S. military, effectively disbanding the WAVES organization.On March 15, 1944, twenty-one-year-old Hartford native Elizabeth “Betty” Nolan, joined the WAVES, where she was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Alameda, CA. To prepare, she attended the U.S. Naval Training School at Hunter College, NY, and Yeoman School at the Iowa Teachers College, Cedar Falls, IA. After the war, Betty worked in the Patent Department of the Underwood Research Laboratories until she and her husband, John P. Barnicle, started their family.
Status
Not on view
