The International Sweethearts of Rhythm song, “Jump Children!” 1949
This is a YouTube video from the NPR website of a recording of a song by The Interntional Sweethearts of Rhythm, called “Jump, Children!” recorded in 1940. This band was an all-female group composed of women of different races. This band travelled all over the United States during the second World War and performed. They were hardly covered by the media since they were controversial for being all women and multi-racial, but their goal for an audience was the American public and American families. The song is about enjoying the little things in life when things get tough. The lead singer is African American, she is singing in front of a full band and in front of an audience. This song shows how the band was trying to get media coverage to gain popularity- something that was hard for them to do during this time. This source highlights the project’s theme of the importance of women’s involvement in the arts and how much harder it was for women, especially women of color, to gain access to the same resources as men. It also showcases women’s grit and strength, as the song is about positivity in the face of hardship.
Claire McCardell dress design, 1949
This source is a photograph of a dress on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The dress was designed by Claire McCardell in 1949. This dress was designed for any women to be able to wear and afford it. McCardell was a very influential female designer in this time, and she changed the face of American fashion because she prioritized comfort, affordability, and simplicity in her clothing. She wanted to move away from the constricting clothes of the time period, and this dress is a simple design with no waist hem, only a simple tie to give it some shape. McCardell was also influential because she used new materials that were available during the time of rationing in WWII, such as cotton, jersey, and denim. This source is useful to the project because it exemplifies how a female designer was able to change the way women viewed style. It was monumental that a woman could model comfort and simplicity in a time when the ideal was perfection. McCardell’s ideas inspired other designers for years to come.
Grace Hartigan painting, 1957
This source is a piece of artwork created by Grace Hartigan in 1957. The piece is an abstract oil painting that highlights the colors of red, green, blue and black. The work was intended to entertain, and it was aimed at an audience of art critics and the public in general: it was showcased at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, which is open to the public but also attracts high-end art critics. Hartigan was an abstract expressionist painter who was part of the New York art scene in the 1950’s, which was heavily focused on men. It was very difficult in this environment for female artists to get any recognition. The piece itself was described by the artist as representing how we do not have anyone to look up to or admire, and the only thing to admire is art itself. The dark theme of this piece represents the feelings of marginalized female artists who were struggling to make their mark in this environment. It is important to this project because it shows how these women turned their struggle into art. This piece of art was located on the Museum of Modern Art collection.