The Promise of Radium and a Glamorous Job
In the early 20th century, the world was captivated by a miracle substance: radium. Discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie, this rare element possessed an eerie, unending glow that seemed to defy the laws of nature. It was hailed as a "mythological super-being" and "liquid sunshine." Because it could destroy cancerous tumors, the public assumed it was a universal health tonic. Entrepreneurs quickly capitalized on the craze, infusing everything from toothpaste and cosmetics to chocolate and water with the radioactive material. While the wealthy paid exorbitant prices for radium treatments, a group of working-class teenagers found themselves in even closer contact with the element through their labor.
In 1917, young women like Katherine Schaub and Grace Fryer joined the Radium Luminous Materials Corporation in New Jersey. Their job was to paint watch dials with "Undark," a luminous paint that allowed soldiers and civilians to tell time in the dark. The work was considered glamorous and artistic, paying far more than typical female labor. The studio was a place of camaraderie and light, where the dust of the radium settled on the girls' hair and clothing, making them gleam like "ghost girls" as they walked home.
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