VAN DER HORST WORLD WAR II PHOTO ALBUM—WOMEN INDUSTRIAL WORKERS, OLEAN, NEW YORK, CIRCA 1945–1946

Item #1754

Company-produced photographic report titled “Van der Horst’s Contribution to the World War II Effort,” measuring 9 × 11.5 inches, containing 28 pages, including nine pages of text and 27 mounted photographs of various sizes, with explanatory typewritten captions. Original blue printed covers advertise the company’s “Porus-Krome” chromium-treatment process.

The report documents Van der Horst’s wartime expansion and its work reclaiming engine cylinders for Army tanks and treating diesel engine cylinders for Navy vessels, including submarines, destroyer escorts, tugs, and landing craft. The text discusses company facilities in Olean, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; and Freeport, Illinois, as well as military contracts, production challenges, employee training, and savings in materials and labor.

The photographs combine factory exteriors and before-and-after cylinder studies with detailed views of workers performing successive manufacturing operations. Particularly compelling images show women sandblasting cylinders, carefully trimming protective wax before chromium plating, and removing masking materials after painting. Other photographs depict men operating large Bryant grinders and dipping cylinders into hot wax to protect surfaces during plating. The captions explain both the tasks and their place in the reclamation process.

Women’s industrial employment is a significant theme: the report states that women comprised 56 percent of the 288 employees at the plant performing Army Ordnance work. It also describes converting a four-story public garage into a factory, installing specialized machinery, and training an inexperienced workforce while meeting production schedules. Training included courses offered through St. Bonaventure College and state and federal education agencies.

A substantial photographic record of women’s wartime labor, industrial production, and military equipment reclamation. Covers are rubbed and creased, with edge tears and small surface losses; the applied title label is chipped. Pages show toning, occasional creasing, and edge wear. The photographs examined retain strong contrast and detail.

Price: $500.00