Navy WAVES:

The Women of World War II

This exhibition includes paintings and a selection of recruitment posters and original artwork that depict the lives and war efforts of WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service).  Artist Howard Baer annotated one of his painting by saying: "If she's a Navy WAVE, then a woman's task may be anything that a man's task may be, and it's a pretty good bet that she will handle it efficiently." 

Establishing the WAVES was a lengthy effort.  Inter-war changes in the Naval Reserve legislation specifically limited service to men, so new legislation was essential. Though far-sighted individuals in the Navy Department had long known that uniformed women were a wartime necessity, general opinion was decidedly negative. Creative politicking moved the legislation through Congress and in July 1942, President Roosevelt signed the law allowing an expanding role for women in the Navy. The next few months saw the commissioning of Mildred McAfee as a Naval Reserve Lieutenant Commander, the first female commissioned officer in U.S. Navy

Recruiting was undertaken, training facilities established, an administrative structure put in place and uniforms designed. The flattering silhouette of the WAVES uniform was due to the foresight of Mrs. James V. Forrestal, the wife of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy who asked leading fashion designer Mainbocher (1891-1976) to create a stylish uniform.  A WAVES recruiting brochure boasted, "It's a proud moment when you first step out in brand new Navy blues!  The trim uniform was especially designed by the famous stylist Mainbocher to flatter every figure and to make you look -- and feel -- your best!"  A year later, in 1943, 27,000 women wore this WAVES uniform.

The WAVES served in a far wider range of occupations than ever before.  While traditionally female secretarial and clerical jobs took an expected large portion, thousands of WAVES performed previously atypical duties in the aviation community, Judge Advocate General Corps, medical professions, communications, intelligence, science and technology.  At the end of WWII, more than 8,000 female officers and more than 75,000 enlisted WAVES had served their country well; this workforce made up about 2 ˝ percent of the Navy's total strength.

Howard Baer (b.1907)

Howard Baer received his art education at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh and in 1929, moved to New York City where he earned some success as an illustrator and cartoonist for The New Yorker and Esquire magazines.  Later, he became an artist war correspondent for Abbott Laboratories and recorded the work of the WAVES at the Anacostia Naval Base, Maryland and the WAVES Training Center, Norman, Oklahoma. 

After the war, Baer continued to paint.  He had numerous exhibitions including the Exposition des Independents in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC.

McClelland Barclay (1891-1943)

An accomplished painter, illustrator, sculptor and jewelry designer, McClelland Barclay had developed a very successful art career by the time he became a Lieutenant in the Naval Reserve in 1938.  In October 1940, Barclay reported for active duty.  He served in the New York Recruiting Office, where he designed posters that would become some of the Navy’s most popular.  With the entrance of the United States into the war in 1941, he volunteered to become a combat artist.  Though not accepted as a part of the official Combat Art Section, he fulfilled similar functions through the Recruiting Office. 

On July 18, 1943, Barclay was aboard LST-342 (Group 14, Flotilla 5) in the South Pacific when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine.  He had been on board since the first of the month, sketching and taking photographs.  Barclay, along with most of the crew, perished.  Barclay was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal. 

John Philip Falter (1910-1982)

One of the most prolific and well-recognized artists to contribute to the Navy’s recruitment campaign, especially the recruitment of WAVES, John Philip Falter attended the Kansas City Art Institute, then the Art Students League of New York and the Grand Central School of Art.

By 1942, Falter was part of the pool of preferred propaganda artists used by the United Stated Office of Facts and Figures (OFF), later called the Office of War Information (OWI).  In 1943, Falter enlisted in the Navy Reserves, where he designed more than 300 posters for the Navy's recruitment campaigns.  Falter's WAVES possessed a conventional feminine appearance, wearing blush, lipstick and nail polish, yet he depicted them doing important work, such as rigging parachutes and operating radios. 

After the war, Falter continued his career as a painter and illustrator for The Saturday Evening Post.  Falter's long list of distinguished accomplishments includes the painting of two U.S. postage stamps and the position of academician of the National Academy of Western Art. 

All of the artwork seen here is part of the U.S. Navy Art Collection.  The Navy Art Collection has more than 13,000 paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture.  It contains depictions of naval ships, personnel and action from all eras of U.S. naval history. The Branch manages the art collection, produces exhibits, loans artwork to museums and provides research assistance.

Support for these exhibitions provided by First Albany Capital and The Swyer Family.  Additional Support for Navy WAVES provided by Excelsior College and The DR Group