Leading Lady Grace Fryer

Leading Lady Grace Fryer is considered to be a “Radium Girl”, but she was much more than that. Grace happened to be a dial painter with U.S. Radium Corporation, a group of skilled women who painted glow in the dark clock and watch faces leading up to WWI. The dials were particularly important during this time, as they did not require the use of power to be read, providing soldiers the ability to tell time. Grace’s dream was to become a bank teller. She achieved her dream job and left U.S. Radium after working to paint dials after two years. However, the toxicity of radium poison had already impacted her and she became ill. Fated to pass from radium poisoning, Grace became an advocate for the women poisoned by radium during their dial painting for U.S. Radium.

Grace lead the effort to sue the company. Learn all about Grace and the “Radium Girls”, and how they fought to prevent U.S. Radium Corporation from concealing the truth of what was happening to the women who painted their dials.

The artwork created for Grace’s paper doll  is my artistic interpretation of Grace Fryer’s likeness based on the sources available to me. Please note that the sources and information regarding the “Radium Girls” contains graphic content pertaining to what happened to the women, and caution should be heeded when read and viewed by young audiences. It is important to learn our history, even when it is difficult to share, read, and learn absorb the facts of it.

The "Radium Girls" series is a capsule collection created to honor the many women who lost their lives and health to radium, who bravely shared the truth of what happened to them. Many were never compensated and spent years of their lives experiencing health complications due to the exposure to radium from their time working at U.S. Radium Corporation. All artwork is the creation of InterArtist Jen Haefeli, Wild Root Creations®.