Photograph album of the women of the United Airlines 1945-46 training class, both at work and at play. Album includes both formal photos of the assembled class and snapshots of the trainees in and around airplanes and hangars, with the majority of photographs devoted to the “United gals” off duty: on a holiday weekend in Reno; on the beach in Santa Cruz; drinking, socializing and dancing with flight crew and others. Most photos captioned, with names or vivid descriptions (“3 wild dames,” “One riot of a Sunday over at Rosie’s and Larry’s – cooking dinner for 3 sailors,” “This is the life – with a capital L.”) A record of the enthusiasm and freedom of young working women in the immediate post-war era.

$800