From collection Kosti Ruohomaa Collection
ARMA Plant Workers 20
In this image a man wearing an apron over his business clothes works at what appears to be a high-precision boring machine in a a factory setting. Smoke forms white swirls in the air in front of him, standing out against the dark background.
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.
