This khaki blouse was worn by Rosalind "Roz" Cron during the USO-sponsored tour of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm to France and Germany between July 1945 and January 1946.
The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was the nation's first racially-integrated all-girl swing and jazz band. The group was initially formed from a girls' band at Missippi's Piney Woods Country Life School in the late 1930s. In 1941, the girls severed ties with the school and turned professional. Soon the group was recognized on a national level, and the girls began touring throughout the country. They even put on shows in the Jim Crow South where it was illegal for mixed races to travel and perform together. During WWII, their popularity with soldiers overseas also landed them a spot with the USO Camp Shows which toured France and Germany for six months from 1945-1946.
At age 18, Roz Cron was the youngest and one of the few white women to join the Sweethearts. Cron joined the group in 1943 to play alto sax for the band.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.