(MILITARY--WORLD WAR TWO.) "Working for Victory" certificate issued to master painter Willie C. Webb, with her portrait. Photograph, 11 x 8½ inches, with color printed overmat laid down on top, 14 x 11 inches; edge wear to overmat, the whole laid down on modern board. Portland, OR, circa 1942-1945
The Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation was a major supplier of naval vessels during the war. With most men of fighting age off at war, women came to fill 30% of their workforce. Their recruitment in the South helped Portland's Black population grow from about 1,800 to 15,000 over the course of the war.
This certificate was issued to one such woman, master painter Willie C. Webb. While we have seen numerous similar photographic certificates issued to soldiers in the World Wars, we don't recall ever coming across one for a "Rosie the Riveter" worker in the defense industry.
