Between 1942 and 1946, Elizabeth Catlett produced numerous portraits of African American women workers, emphasizing their role in the US war effort. These works form part of the artist’s wider commitment to illustrating the historic resistance, survival, and liberation of Black women.

Here, Catlett portrayed the demeanor and spirit of a nurse on duty during World War II. Skillfully blending graphite and crayon, she depicted the figure’s facial features, her Red Cross cap, and the shadow it casts across her forehead. Using a sharp tool, she scratched crayon away from the paper to give further texture and dimension to the nurse’s combed hair. 

With these techniques, Catlett conveyed the nurse’s gently tilted head and her gaze into a long middle distance. Facing an unknown or invisible horizon, the woman appears at once plaintive and steady.