On the Railways - Engine and Carriage Cleaning; The Great War: Britain's Efforts and Ideals: Women's Work
- Object:
Print
- Place of origin:
Great Britain, UK (printed and published)
- Date:
1917 (printed and published)
- Artist/Maker:
Hartrick, born 1864 - died 1950 (artist)
Ministry of Information (publisher) - Materials and Techniques:
Lithograph
- Credit Line:
Given by the Ministry of Information
- Museum number:
E.781-1918
- Gallery location:
Prints & Drawings Study Room, level F, case EDUC, shelf 6
This print first appeared in 1917, three years into the First World War (1914-1918). In that year the Department (later Ministry) of Information commissioned a series of such prints from eminent artists. They aimed to encourage and inspire a war-weary public and to raise support for the British war-effort, particularly in the USA. The government concealed the source when the prints first appeared. They distributed sets to museums and galleries in Britain, Australia and Canada in 1918.
Hartrick accepted a number of commissions to produce prints for propaganda purposes. This one shows women working on the railways, an occupation previously reserved for men. The women's contribution was vital because the British economy depended heavily on an efficient public transport system.
