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October 1942. Metal parts are placed on masonite by this employee before they slide under the multi-ton hydropress at North American Aviation in Inglewood, California. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer.
I have done work like that and it is quite possible to have filthy hands only. (I tend to rub my nose so I always get a nice stripe there as well.)
The lower part of her smock is hidden in shadows but I suspect it matches her hands.
All of these nice Kodachrome prints of women working on the war effort are staged to a degree. It may be the worker doing her job, but by the time you set up the lights and the tripod it is not going to be candid.
I have also noticed in some of the previous photos that there was no actual work being done.
[Posed, not "staged." There's a big difference. As we've pointed out elsewhere on this site, many of these large-format Kodachromes were made as studies for poster illustrations (example below). They were never intended as candid shots of people at work. - Dave]
She has a nice hairdo, perfect lipstick, nice teeth, and is all clean and neat except the hands. Maybe this is a commercial for hand lotion.
The way she is smiling maks this photo look like a commercial. "Would you like to place metal parts on masonite? It sure is tons of fun!"
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