#Radium girls glowing in coffin how to#

Some paint their nails with the exciting new mixture, delighted to see how they glow in the dark.īut it is after a few years that the first of her friends and acquaintances begin to suffer. Their workplace is soon covered in a find dust, which makes their hair and clothes sparkle. Evenings are often spent with friends, listening to music or chatting, having a relaxed drink now and then. The overseer tells them it's all safe, of course, and the manager brushes off any questions with light jokes.Īs the years go by, we follow Catherine's working and social life.

#Radium girls glowing in coffin how to#

The girls are shown how to dip their paint brushes into the radium mixture, then, to ensure an even, thin paint job on the dials, they had to hold the tip of the brush to their pursed lips to make the tip as pointy as possible. Theirs is regarded as skilled work, and the pay is above average. When Radium Dial, a company producing illuminated clocks, opens in town in 1922, Catherine, then aged 19, applies and is soon hired, together with many other young women. Theirs is a humble background, and once she's old enough, Catherine seeks employment to help with the household costs. Catherine is an ordinary girl, living with her aunt and uncle in their own small house in Ottawa, Illinois.