Contextual History of Women in Cartography During WWII

Judith Tyner examines the essential role of women in cartography during WWII. She highlights the process of mapping during World War II, major employers of women cartographers, how the discipline of cartography emerged, and the women involved in this process. The book uncovers the impact of WWII on mapmaking. Before the war, cartography was seen as a tool rather than a discipline in its own right. Tyner traces how this change happened. New agencies such as the Army Map Service and the Office of Strategic Services, as well as established agencies such as the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the United States Geological Survey were commissioned to make maps for the war effort. Furthermore, the Army Map Service was the largest employer of women during the War. She also looks at the kinds of maps that women made and the attitudes towards women in cartography to tell the untold story of women cartographers.