Top of page

Photo, Print, Drawing [Uncle Sam's girl-shower] / Nell Brinkley.

[ digital file from original drawing ]

About this Item

Title

  • [Uncle Sam's girl-shower] / Nell Brinkley.

Summary

  • World War I drawing shows a shower of lovely girls floating down around Uncle Sam to offer their services for work in Washington. On the side, however, three girls show the problems they are encountering. One sleeps in a chair; one encounters a sign reading "Apartments, No Dogs, Children or Girls"; and one sleeps against a lamp post. Nell Brinkley's delicate drawings of girls with masses of curly hair made her one of the most widely published illustrators of the early years of the century, but she frequently focused on the problems confronting working women. Girls flocked to Washington during the first World War to support the war effort, but they found a housing shortage and landlords reluctant to rent to them.

Names

  • Brinkley, Nell, 1886-1944, artist

Created / Published

  • [1918]

Headings

  • -  World War, 1914-1918--Women--United States
  • -  Uncle Sam (Symbolic character)--1910-1920

Headings

  • Cartoons (Commentary)--1910-1920.
  • Drawings--1910-1920.

Genre

  • Cartoons (Commentary)--1910-1920
  • Drawings--1910-1920

Notes

  • -  Title and date from: Nell Brinkley and the new woman in the early 20th century / Trina Robbins. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, 2001, p. 74.
  • -  Caption label from exhibit Cartoon America: Depicts a bevy of beauties floating into Washington, D.C., eager to support the war effort during World War I, only to face a severe housing shortage. Brinkley highlights their urgent plight by showing one girl asleep on a bench, another sleeping against a lamp post, and a third reading a rental sign banning dogs, children, and girls. In the central vignette an elegant young woman appeals to Uncle Sam for help. During an exceptionally successful career, this popular pioneering woman illustrator employed a distinctive, fine-lined drawing style in her newspaper illustrations of idealistic young women.
  • -  Portion of drawing published in: Nell Brinkley and the new woman in the early 20th century / Trina Robbins. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, 2001, p. 74.
  • -  Forms part of: Art Wood Collection of Caricature and Cartoon (Library of Congress).
  • -  Exhibited: Cartoon America: Highlights from the Art Wood Collection of Cartoon and Caricature, Library of Congress, 2006-2007.
  • -  Unprocessed in WOOD.Brinkley.5
  • -  Source: Robbins, Nell Brinkley, p. 71-74 ljr

Medium

  • 1 drawing on bristol board : crayon, charcoal, and ink over graphite, with opaque white and overlay ; 38.3 x 58.3 cm (sheet)

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Unprocessed in PR 13 CN 2001:055-4 [item] [P&P]

Repository

  • Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Digital Id

  • ppmsca 03341 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.03341

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2003668547

Reproduction Number

  • LC-DIG-ppmsca-03341 (digital file from original)

Rights Advisory

  • No known copyright restrictions on publication.

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

  • Rights Advisory: No known copyright restrictions on publication.
  • Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-03341 (digital file from original)
  • Call Number: Unprocessed in PR 13 CN 2001:055-4 [item] [P&P]
  • Access Advisory: ---

Obtaining Copies

If an image is displaying, you can download it yourself. (Some images display only as thumbnails outside the Library of Congress because of rights considerations, but you have access to larger size images on site.)

Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

  1. If a digital image is displaying: The qualities of the digital image partially depend on whether it was made from the original or an intermediate such as a copy negative or transparency. If the Reproduction Number field above includes a reproduction number that starts with LC-DIG..., then there is a digital image that was made directly from the original and is of sufficient resolution for most publication purposes.
  2. If there is information listed in the Reproduction Number field above: You can use the reproduction number to purchase a copy from Duplication Services. It will be made from the source listed in the parentheses after the number.

    If only black-and-white ("b&w") sources are listed and you desire a copy showing color or tint (assuming the original has any), you can generally purchase a quality copy of the original in color by citing the Call Number listed above and including the catalog record ("About This Item") with your request.

  3. If there is no information listed in the Reproduction Number field above: You can generally purchase a quality copy through Duplication Services. Cite the Call Number listed above and include the catalog record ("About This Item") with your request.

Price lists, contact information, and order forms are available on the Duplication Services Web site.

Access to Originals

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.
  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
  3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Brinkley, Nell, Artist. Uncle Sam's girl-shower / Nell Brinkley. United States, 1918. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2003668547/.

APA citation style:

Brinkley, N. (1918) Uncle Sam's girl-shower / Nell Brinkley. United States, 1918. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2003668547/.

MLA citation style:

Brinkley, Nell, Artist. Uncle Sam's girl-shower / Nell Brinkley. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2003668547/>.