From collection Kosti Ruohomaa Collection
ARMA Plant Workers 13
In this scene men working in a factory setting are captured hand-sanding molded steel components at a table.
In 1945 Ruohomaa took on a Time/Life assignment to capture life inside one of the home front factories: this one an ARMA Plant which produced electrical appliances for the U. S. military. Scenes include higher and lower skilled workers performing hand as well as machine tasks. The images reflect the modern machinery of the retooled plants as well as the new demographic of the wartime labor force: women, African Americans, and older people.
Ruohomaa uses extra lighting and a low camera angle to dramatize the men and the work.