In this episode, we’ll be visiting The Munition Girls by Stanhope Alexander Forbes at the Science Museum in London. Welcome to Art, Culture & Books with me, Anthony King.
The Munition Girls oil on canvas was painted in 1918 by Stanhope Forbes. He was born in Dublin on the 18th November 1857 and died on the 2nd March 1947. We find some incredible paintings and works of art at the Science Museum dotted around and this is no exception. The Science Museum tells us: “Commissioned by John Baker & Co of Rotherham, the painting depicts women workers at the firm’s Kilnhurst Steel Works. The First World War made unprecedented demands on industry and the Kilnhurst works were converted to the manufacture of artillery shells. With so many men drafted into the armed forces, large numbers of women found ready employment in formerly male-dominated occupations. A member of the Royal Academy, Stanhope Forbes had founded the Newlyn School of Art in 1899. Although primarily known for his landscapes, he had already painted several industrial subjects.” During the First World War, the Munition Girls, as they were known played a crucial role as they joined the workforce to compensate for the depleted male labour in munitions production.
By Anthony King (c)