Part of the From War to Peace series — which examines women’s wartime opportunity and postwar constraint — Tools of the Trade stages that contrast in a restrained palette of blues and neutrals, punctuated by red, silver and bright white.

Period recruiting posters bearing the line “WOMAN’S PLACE IN WAR” underscores the technical mastery expected of wartime workers, unintentionally alerting contemporary audiences to how quickly “a woman’s place” would change once peace returned.

Combining women-in-WWII history and home-front narratives, Tools of the Trade invites viewers to consider the gap between women’s proven abilities and their available opportunities.

Materials: Lapis, blue onyx, dollhouse miniatures, Murano glass, jewelry findings, paper, public-domain WWII posters, art board, fabric

Framing: Archival museum glass in a deep black custom frame by Chevy Chase Art Gallery, Washington, DC.

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From War to Peace (Series)

A collection of miniature, historically grounded narratives tracing a cultural shift that still resonates today. During World War II, women stepped into expanded roles — cryptography, logistics, parachute rigging, radio repair, and more — only to be steered back toward narrowly defined domestic expectations as the war ended.

Drawing on period posters, archival photographs, and symbolic materials, each work juxtaposes wartime competence and leadership with postwar ideals of home and femininity. Intimate and research-driven, the series rewards careful viewing, restores these contributions to the historical record, and reasserts these women as clear role models for later generations.

Steeped in World War II women’s history, the series highlights the roles of both civilian and military women on the home front and beyond.