See Discovery Museum’s Historical Costume Collection in New Film Showing the Style of Women in WW2
A new film, Style Stories: Women in War Service, which takes viewers behind the scenes into Discovery Museum’s historical costume store, is now live
From ‘tiddly trousers’ to Adolf Hitler’s hate of red lipstick, initial stigma of joining the troops to Princess Elizabeth’s service, Style Stories delves into the everyday challenges of women in that time.
Must-see Stories editor and digital producer at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM), Sarah Younas, explains why the museum has developed episode one of Style Stories: ‘Access to Discovery Museum's costume collection is one of the most popular requests from our visitors. Telling stories through the clothes that people wore is a powerful way to explore what life was like throughout the decades and it is wonderful to be able to share items that are not usually on display in the museum.
‘We started with women in the Second World War as Discovery Museum’s current temporary exhibition is Stories of Service: Tyneside’s home front during the Second World War. Being a woman in service was not easy. More than 640,000 women joined the services, drove ambulances, or served as nurses. They were paid less than men and not allowed to fire weapons; after the war many returned to domestic life, their roles largely forgotten. We’d like to shine a light on their stories, using the uniforms they wore.’
The exhibition Stories of Service: Tyneside’s home front during the Second World War is inspired by research undertaken in partnership with Imperial War Museums (IWM) as part of the Second World War and Holocaust Partnership Programme (SWWHPP), to capture the lesser-known stories of people from that time.
Style Stories features on TWAM’s Must-see Stories website and YouTube channel. Must-See Stories explores alternative, fresh perspectives and undiscovered stories from Tyneside’s past and present, inspired by the North East’s world-class collections of art, heritage and archives.
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