Encyclopedia ofChicago
Historical Source
Historical Source
R
Red Cross Volunteers during Flu Epidemic, 1919

 

 

 

Red Cross Volunteers during Flu Epidemic, 1919

World War I offered women many new opportunities, both paid and volunteer. One of the most popular volunteer agencies was the American Red Cross. In this 1918 picture, Red Cross volunteers address the domestic influenza epidemic by making the masks worn by hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans to avoid the spread of the deadly disease.