Anna Coleman Ladd
Prosthetic Sculptor
Anna Coleman Ladd was born in 1878 in Pennsylvania. Anna received an education in Europe, it was in Paris and Rome that she studied sculpting. She met her husband in Salisbury, England and the two moved to Boston where Anna continued her education in art.
Anna studied with the American sculptor Bela Pratt for a number of years at the Boston Museum School, and in 1915 her piece Triton Babies was displayed in the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. During her time as a sculptor, Anna showed her art in several different shows and traveling exhibitions. This led her to establish a good name for herself in the world of art.
During World War I, Anna's husband, Dr. Maynard Ladd, was appointed to the Children's Bureau of the American Red Cross in France. It was then that Anna learned of the work of a British sculptor named Francis Derwent Wood, who was making prosthetic masks for disfigured soldiers who were returning home. Anna, wanting to become more involved in the war effort, asked for special permission to travel to collaborate with the soldiers in France.
Anna was granted permission and began to sculpt masks for the soldiers who were stationed in France. Anna was appointed to collaborate with the American Red Cross in the Masks for Facial Disfigurement Department in Paris.
During her work in Paris, Anna founded the Studio for Portrait-Masks and began to provide cosmetic masks for the disfigured men. It was due to her service in the war effort that Anna was awarded both the Légion d'Honneur Croix de Chevalier and the Serbian Order of Saint Sava.
Anna retired from her work as a sculptor in 1936, and she and her husband moved together to California, where Anna died in 1939. Her statue titled Triton Babies is still displayed in the Boston Public Garden and is a part of the Boston Women's Heritage Trail.
-April 2025
Anna Coleman Ladd with soldier
Sophie Scholl
The White Rose
Born in 1921, Sophia Magdalena Scholl was an outspoken young woman. Sophie was born into a family of liberal politicians who were fierce Nazi critics.
Sophie had a calm and carefree childhood but had to be moved from city to city due to her father’s political work. She enjoyed school and came by learning new information easily. In 1931, at the age of 12, Sophie, along with the majority of her classmates, joined branches of the Hitler Youth. Her initial excitement to be part of the group quickly fell away when she began to notice that the group’s political ideals clashed with that of her own and her family's. Sophie was a very opinionated girl, who chose her friends carefully to make sure that their values corresponded with her own.
In 1937, a few of Sophie's brothers, who were also disillusioned to the Nazi Party, took part in several Anti-Nazi protests. This led to their arrest, which left a strong impression on a growing Sophie.
It was at 16 years old that Sophie was first arrested by the Gestapo for her participation in Anti-Nazi organizations. She was released shortly after, but this was the final nail in the coffin towards her views and opinions about the rising power in Germany.
After graduating from secondary school in 1940, Sophie became increasingly opposed to her country and the growing political climate. In 1942, Sophie enrolled in the University of Munich to study biology and philosophy. It was here that she met like-minded friends who were eager to speak out about Nazism.
Sophie, her friends, and a few of her brothers began a nonviolent, outspoken organization called the White Rose. This group of students would covertly distribute leaflets that spoke out against the Nazi regime and Hitler's motives. These leaflets were left in public spaces where they would be seen by the largest amount of people: in phonebooks in public phone booths, mailed to professors and students, and handed off to other students so that they could be circulated at other universities. Sophie was a key member of the White Rose, being a woman she was much less likely to be suspected of being involved, making her less likely to be stopped by SS officers.
Sophie and her brother, Hans, were finally caught distributing these leaflets at Ludwig Maximillian University. The siblings went to this school with a suitcase full of leaflets. The two began leaving them in stacks in hallways that were well travelled. As they were about to leave, Sophie opened the suitcase at the uppermost part of a staircase so that the pages would rain down into the atrium below. A university maintenance person named Jakob Schmid caught them in the act and turned both Sophie and Hans into the Gestapo.
Sophie was initially presumed to be innocent but assumed responsibility for her actions to protect the other members of the White Rose. During her trial, Sophie stood proudly before the judge and stated that "Somebody, after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just don't dare express themselves as we did."
Sophie was found guilty of treason and was sentenced to execution. She was killed by guillotine on February 22, 1943, at 5:00 pm. Some of her last words were "The sun still shines."
Sophie's legacy has continued long after her death. The White Rose continued to operate covertly. More leaflets were smuggled out of Germany to neighboring countries where Allied planes would drop them from the sky over Germany. After the war ended, years later in 2003 the communication and political science building at the University of Munich was named after Sophie and her brother. She has also been honored on German currency as well as in television, film, and national publications.
Sophie is now considered one of the most well beloved, influential German people of the twentieth century.
-March 2025
Sophie Scholl
The Earliest of Known Records
Women have been involved in wars and battles for centuries. The earliest records dating back to 16th Century BC. Much documentation was not recorded of these women, so it is difficult to piece together the records that highlight them.
One of the first women to be recorded as believed to be involved in war was Ahhotep I. After her husband died from injuries, she became regent until her son was old enough to become Pharaoh. In her time as regent, Ahhotep unified, cared for, protected, and returned the deserters and dissidents of the military. For these actions Ahhotep was given recognition on a stela monument. From the verbiage that is inscribed, some scholars believe that it is likely that Ahhotep commanded the Egyptian army during her time as regent.
In the 13th Century BC, Fu Hao was a consort of the Emperor, having entered into the palace through marriage. From documents that have survived since the Shang Dynasty, Fu Hao is credited to have led multiple military campaigns, having won a hard won victory against the Tu people. During her time as a military leader, she led upwards of 13,000 troops, including many other celebrated generals. Fu Hao is said to be the most accomplished military leader of her time.
Some skepticism surrounds Queen Tomyris. Several ancient texts have been discovered that highlight her actions and accomplishments. Tomyris rose to become queen after her husband died. Tomyris was the leader of the Massagetae tribe in ancient Iran. When a neighboring Persian ruler, Cyrus, asked for her hand in marriage, Tomyris saw through his grab for power and rejected the proposal. Tomyris then states that Cyrus should focus on ruling his kingdom while she ruled hers. Cyrus saw this as an insult and invaded the Massagetae land. According to various sources, Tomyris took an active role in the military campaign, some even stating that she was the one to kill Cyrus herself. Not much was written of Tomyris after the death of Cyrus, but her legacy lives on having become a popular figure in Renaissance art.
Some of the women who were involved in wars and military engagements are believed to be fictional. One of the most famous of these stories is the legend of Hua Mulan. The exact origin of Mulan is not exactly known, but believed to be dated between the 4th and 6th Centuries CE. The first written account of Mulan is in the Ballad of Mulan, which first appears in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-535 CE). Since her first appearance, Mulan has been featured in a variety of plays, movies, games, and literature.
Not all women who were involved in early war efforts took the form of military support. Saint Genevieve became involved in religion at a young age, and after she was orphaned, she moved to Paris. While living in Paris, Genevieve became known for her healings, piety, and miracles. One of her miracles happened in the year 451. The city of Paris was under threat of attack by Attila the Hun. Genevieve gathered women in the city and formed a prayer marathon. It is said that these prayers were what prevented Attila from attacking. This is Genevieve's most famous feat. Genevieve was later canonized as one of the patron saints of Paris.
For more information about these women, and other women who were involved in early warfare, check out the page on Women in Ancient Warfare.
-February 2025
