Three Original Pieces of Art for the Unpublished Work "Civilians at War"
Waterbury, Connecticut? 1943. Very Good. Item #21394
Waterbury, CT? 1943. Three original drawings (45x30.5cm) using pencil and red, blue, and black ink on stiff paper stock; all signed and dated by Virginia L. Stowell, 1943. Stock a bit unevenly toned and lightly soiled, small loss to bottom left-hand corner of two images not approaching text or image; overall Very Good.
Three original illustrations, including what appears to have been the proposed pictorial title page of an unpublished pamphlet titled "Civilians at War," a guide to the ongoing warfare and production now that the United States had entered World War II. Apart from the title page, the illustrations depict examples of demolition and general purpose bombs by size from 100 to 4000 pounds, accompanied by a nattily-clad gent for size. A dissected view of the 300 lb. general bomb is also provided. The third illustration shows the twelve Civilian Defense Emblems, from auxiliary police and firemen to rescue and decontamination squads.
The work almost certainly composed by fifteen-year-old Virginia Lee Stowell (1928-1994) of Waterbury, Connecticut, a major metal manufacturing hub during the War, its Scoville Manufacturing Co. employing as many as 10,000 workers at peak production. At the age of seventeen Stowell joined the Cadet Nursing Corps, in March, 1945, though by the time she received her certificate of membership, on September 4th, the war had been over for two days. Whether Stowell would have made a better nurse than draughtswoman is questionable, though it is entirely possible that her impressively inked bombs were traced.
Price: $250.00