Collection: On Land and On Sea

Maritime photographers Morris Rosenfeld and Sons are renowned for their stunning black-and- white images of the mostly male world of 20th-century yachting. But some important and fascinating views of women exist among the more than 1 million photographs in the Mystic Seaport Rosenfeld Collection.

This exhibit includes 70 photographs of everyday and exceptional girls and women -- from aviators to telephone operators, swimsuit models to suffragettes. Through the Rosenfeld lens, we witness young girls having fun messing about on small boats, society matrons playing golf, and working-class women ironing shirts.

Some of the images first appeared in newspapers or magazines covering social events or patriotic gatherings. Others were commissioned by clients such as AT & T, the American Red Cross, or Evinrude to burnish an image, promote good works, or sell products. Almost all depicted white women and girls, with few glimpses of women of color and their experiences.

Taken together, they present a rich but uneven view of 20th-century women, their work and leisure activities as captured in commercial photography.