These prints record the vital contribution made by women as part of the war effort. When more men were required for fighting in 1915, there was a call to women to ‘do their bit’. By taking on jobs in areas traditionally reserved for men the female workforce raised levels of production both in factories and in fields. Although much of the work was both arduous and dangerous, the war allowed many women an unprecedented degree of freedom, and an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in previously male-dominated spheres. Hartrick was sent to make studies on the spot, and many of the compositions seem deliberately posed. As propaganda images they give no indication of the hardships and hazards that women faced on a daily basis. This work forms part of the portfolio ‘The Great War: Britain’s Efforts and Ideals’, a series of 66 lithographic prints commissioned by the Ministry of Information in 1917.