Wheels, Women and Independence 1920 – 1929 Exhibit Opening

This event will celebrate the opening of the Wheels, Women and Independence 1920 – 1929 exhibit. This exhibit is building upon and enhancing the current Wheels, Women and Independence 1900 – 1920. We will explore how during and following World War I women learned and worked in traditional male-only occupations. With the men off to war, the women stepped up and addressed the challenges on the home front, becoming truck drivers, mechanics, and pilots among other things. This showed that women were not the weaker sex, but quite the opposite. These women were proficient, intelligent, strong workers capable of performing all job challenges required, regardless of gender. This exhibit will showcase the experiences of pioneer female automobile enthusiasts and the role of the automobile in the suffrage movement and beyond. At times, each of the featured women played a pivotal role in societal change, with their paths sometimes crossing along the way, and each woman has her own unique story to tell with a passion for motoring at the center.

Funded project of Humanities New York, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.