Oh, Boy! That’s the Girl!, 1918
George Mather Richards, (American, 1880-1958)
Lithograph on paper
On loan from the Joseph M. Bruccoli Great War Collection, Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, University of South Carolina
American troops were referred to as “doughboys” a term first appearing in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). While the etymology of the term is unknown, in World War I it was tied to one of the favorite snacks of the enlisted—the doughnut. Women volunteers in the Salvation Army, referred to as “lassies,” would roll dough with wine bottles and fry the dough inside anything they could get their hands on, from potbellied stoves to iron helmets. These makeshift doughnuts were passed out among soldiers to boost morale. The doughnuts were a smash hit, and the Salvation Army lassie became an icon used for fundraising, enticing people to “keep her on the job!”