Tool Chest belonging to Etta Anderson
date: label: date made
content: 19th century
notes: label: Description
content: This tool chest belonged to Etta Anderson, a sheet metal worker in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard during World War II. It is made of galvanized steel with a metal label stamped “ETTA ANDERSON” on the lid. Inside the chest is a removable tray painted olive green. This object was donated by Jacqueline Anderson, Etta’s daughter-in-law.
label: Description
content: Etta Anderson (1902-1978) was born Etta Blanchard Stepler to parents Frank B. and Edna Stepler. She was the eldest of her three siblings. Etta’s father, Frank, was an engineer and pipe fitter, possibly instilling within Etta interest and skill in trades work. Etta graduated from Camden High School in Camden, New Jersey, in 1920. She later married Victor E. Anderson and had three children. During World War II, Etta served as a sheet metal worker at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. During this wartime period, many American women like Etta found work in factories and shipyards, contributing to a broader turning point in the history of women and work in the mid-20th century. Following World War II, Etta worked at Cooper Hospital in Camden as a doctors’ secretary for at least 10-15 years.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New Jersey
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Work
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Jacquieline Anderson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2018.0152.01
label: accession number
content: 2018.0152
label: catalog number
content: 2018.0152.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: tool chest
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: galvanized steel (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 32 cm x 51 cm x 26 cm; 12 19/32 in x 20 3/32 in x 10 1/4 in