WAVES Uniform Cap
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
Elizabeth Ann Nolan
American, 1924 - 2017
DesignerDesigned by
House of Mainbocher
American, 1929 - 1971
Date1944-1946
MediumWool, leather, silk
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (hat band circumference): 20in. (50.8cm)
ClassificationsCostume
Credit LineGift of Elizabeth Barnicle
DescriptionWAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) uniform sailor cap worn by Elizabeth Nolan. The cap is a navy blue, round, flat visorless hat featuring a black grosgrain band with "U. S. Navy" embroidered in yellow. The interior of the cap features a deteriorating leather hat band.
Object number2017.37.10
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.
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