Id’d WW2 American Women’s Voluntary Services Group

A uniform and photograph grouping of a member of the American Women’s Voluntary Services organization in World War II and purchased directly from her. The group is comprised of two uniform jackets; a uniform dress; and the three caps that go with the three uniforms. The group also includes a uniform necktie and a brown leather belt, as well as a period photograph of the owner Tina Baker, a lovely young woman who wears one of the uniforms in the group. One of the uniform jackets bears not only the AWVS shoulder patch but, below that, a circular AWVS “Motor Services” patch and a “rocker” patch bearing the designation of “Frederick MD.”, It is this jacket which is worn by the young woman in the photograph. Both of the jackets have “AWVS” buttons. The jackets exhibit some degree of color alteration. The existing uniforms of the AWVS indicate that the materials and dyes that were used created a very unstable color, so that the uniforms, originally a blue-gray color, are almost always a light purple color after the passage of the decades. These two jackets are accompanied by the caps that were worn with them, being kepi style caps, both a bit misshapen from storage. Each kepi has on it the cap badge of the AWVS. One of the caps bears an interior size tag of 7!/4, and retains its blue-gray color. The other cap shows the alteration of the color observed in these uniforms, and is more of a pale purple color. The group includes as well the short sleeved uniform dress of the young woman, with AWVS sleeve patch and matching cap. The cap has an interior size tag of “23”. The uniform dress has an interior size tag of “20”. The dress has some perspiration spots and other signs of wear and use. The necktie is the wool uniform necktie that was worn with the uniform jacket. The belt is thin brown leather, well worn, and the square buckle has come loose due to loss of the stitching that secured the buckle to the belt. The black and white portrait photograph is signed in pencil by the photographer on the mat. It is contained within a period leather frame, and has an overall size of approximately 8 by 10 inches.