A Girl and her Submarine, 1918

JF Ptak Science Books  

I could hardly resist this 1918 image:  the young girl, her hands in her pockets,  ribbons on her chest, her submarine fashioned over a tricycle with the two flags (Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack).

The sun is low, rising or setting, and it is catching the girl in the face, the home-fashioned hardboard visor of her home-grown officer's headgear doing nohing to shade her eyes.  She's in her dress whites, maybe proud of someone else's handiwork on her ten foot long submarine. 

The image comes from my small archive of 200 or so WWI  news service photos, this one no doubt intended to stir some home fires to help raise money or spirits.  I have no idea of the image was ever published. 

And of course the details:

And this of the stern flag, the Union Jack:

And this, with the hand-sewn eagle on the hand-made jacket, with all of the trimmings a creation of mom, or someone else as kind:

And you can purchase the original: World War I news service photo, made 1918.  8x6 inches.  Good condition.  $350

Comments

[JustMe]

How can you be so certain the photo is of a girl? Just curious ...

[John F. Ptak]

I dunno--it just came to me. I guess I should've just said "child", but "girl" seemed to fit better.