This database includes articles, lesson plans and primary sources from the National WWI Museum and Memorial and our partners around the world, presented in collaboration with the United States World War One Centennial Commission.
Do you have resources that you want to share or have questions? Contact us at education@theworldwar.org.
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Getting Dressed in WWIVideo SeriesCreator: Crows Eye ProductionsFrom soldiers in the Artists Rifles and nurses in the Voluntary Aid Detachment to working class suffragettes and young women, see who wore what—and why they wore it—in Great Britain during the Great War and the 1919 Flu Pandemic with these short videos by Crows Eye Productions.View Online |
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Women & The American StoryModernizing America: 1889–1920Creator: New-York Historical SocietyA departure from years of isolationist policies, the U.S. entry into WWI signaled a change in the way Americans thought and felt about the rest of the world - a change reflected in their fashion. In these lessons created by the New-York Historical Society Museum and Library, learn about the rise of Madame C.J. Walker, the first self-made Black female millionaire in the United States who built her beauty empire during the war, as well as post-war consumerism and the popularization of flappers.Explore Online |
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When Paper Clothing Was the Perfect FitArticle by Greg DaughertyCreator: Smithsonian MagazineA cheaper, light-weight alternative to wool and cotton—materials that were either scarce or too expensive to afford in countries ravaged by the war—paper quickly became a popular fabric for garments in the last and post-war years. Learn more about this convenient cloth that could be cleaned with an eraser with this article by Smithsonian Magazine.Read Online |
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The Wool Brigades of World War IWhen Knitting Was a Patriotic DutyCreator: Atlas ObscuraVolunteer knitters—men and women of various ages and races—dedicated two million hours, nearly 230 years’ worth of labor, in the eighteen months the United States was at war. By its end, 45 million pounds of wool were used to make 22 million garments to support soldiers stationed domestically and overseas. Learn more about the nation-wide knitting campaigns with this article by Atlas Obscura.Read Online |
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Intricate Illustrations of Parisian CostumesFrench Fashion Plates from 1912-1914Creator: Chester Beatty LibraryA century after the publication of the fashion magazine Journal des Dames et des Modes (1912-1914), the Chester Beatty Library exhibited over 100 of the Journal’s unique fashion illustrations, known as Costumes Parisiens. This virtual exhibition by Google Arts and Culture provides a brief introduction to the Journal, the artists and designers represented, and the fashion and clothing of the period, through a stunning collection of vividly illustrated fashion plates.Explore Online |
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The King of Fashion: Paul PoiretCreator: The Metropolitan Museum of ArtHailed as the defining clothing and costume designer of the 20th century, Paul Poiret is credited for creating “the blueprint of the modern fashion industry.” Explore his pieces and discover more on early haute couture with essays and artifacts featured in The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.Explore Online |
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Digital Archives: 1910sKyoto Costume InstituteCreator: The Kyoto Costume InstituteThe breadth of European imperialism—particularly of the British and French—stretched deep into Africa and Asia, introducing Western colonizers to a myriad of new textiles, patterns, and styles of dress. Examine the cross-cultural influence on European and Asian fashion during the wartime era with The Kyoto Costume Institute’s Digital Archive.Explore Online |
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Some Effects of the World War on CottonCreator: University of FloridaInvestigate the war’s impact on both the global and American cotton markets in this 1937 report by The United States Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural Economics, made available online from the University of Florida Digital Collections.View Online |
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Flu Meets FashionWomen's Wear DailyCreator: Women's Wear DailyAs public and personal hygiene adapted to slow the spread of influenza in 1918, so did clothing. From mask mandates to suit bans, learn more about the pandemic’s influence on fashion with this article and archived newspaper clippings from Women’s Wear Daily (WWD).Read Online |
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How WWI Sparked the Gay Rights MovementCreator: Smithsonian MagazineAs true with all Americans, LGBT individuals volunteered for, objected against and fought in World War I. With few exceptions, notably American expatriates Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas, most Americans did not publicly "come out" during the era as it was considered illegal under varying interpretations of laws throughout the United States. The war left its own enduring legacy on LGBTQ history: sparking the modern gay rights movement.View Online |
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Gertrude SteinJewish Women's Archive - EncyclopediaCreator: Jewish Women's ArchiveFrom the Jewish Women's Archive, this encyclopedia entry details the life of American writer and iconoclast Gertrude Stein. Stein and her lifelong companion Alice Toklas volunteered for the American Fund for French Wounded during the war, delivering hospital supplies throughout the south of France.Read Online |
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World War I and AmericaAmerican Women at WarCreator: Library of AmericaThis initiative from Library of America explores the continuing relevance of World War I by reading, discussing, and sharing insights into the writings of Americans who experienced it firsthand. Divided into topics, including: Why Fight?, The Experience of War, Race and World War I, American Women at War, The Home Front, America on the World Stage, and Coming Home, each subject area has both PDF reading guides and videos (hosted on Vimeo) of modern authors and scholars reading selected writings from the time period. In American Women at War, students explore the literary works of three WWI era women and then answer the question "Does women's wartime service transform gender roles and expectations?"View Online |
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How WWI Changed AmericaCreator: National WWI Museum and Memorial, Doughboy FoundationHow WWI Changed America includes a series of “toolkits” for educators with resources, lessons, videos and podcasts about the enduring impact of the First World War in the United States. This project was created to improve the resource materials for teaching history in the United States and to increase fundamental knowledge of World War I.Explore Online |
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They Came to FightAfrican American Experience in World War ICreator: National WWI Museum and MemorialIn this lesson orginally created by Dr. Pellom McDaniels, III, Students will examine the conditions for African Americans living in the United States during the time of the Great War (1914-1918), paying particular attention to Jim Crow laws and the high rates of lynching in many states. They will learn about the Selective Service Act of 1917 and consider why African Americans were expected to serve a country that did not bestow on them full citizenship rights and allowed widespread and institutional discrimination.Download PDF |
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WWI Hero Henry Johnson Finally Receives Medal of HonorArticle by Sarah PruittCreator: HISTORY®Though Henry Johnson was hailed as one of the bravest Americans to fight in WWI, due to lasting racism in the U.S. it wasn’t until 2004 that he was granted the Medal of Honor. This article from HISTORY® tells his story from soldier to posthumous Medal of Honor recipient.Read Online |
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about this project
The United States World War One Centennial Commission and the National WWI Museum and Memorial are dedicated to educating the public about the causes, events and consequences of the conflict and we encourage the use of these resources to better understand the Great War and its enduring impact on the global community.
Assisting in this endeavor are:
