Sweetheart Pillow Shams
Servicemen stationed at the Army Air Forces Technical School in Sioux Falls during World War II had little time and few options when trying to pick out a gift to send to loved ones back home. As a result, printed novelties and souvenirs, including sweetheart pillow shams, became a lucrative business. The silky shams allowed the sender to express “thinking of you” sentiments easily. The pictures here show two examples from a recent donation of forty-one shams. Images on the shams depict everything from symbols and images from the base to flowers and eloquent poems written for sweethearts, mothers, and sisters. Most of the sham is pretty generic and could be printed anywhere and for any base, but printed or stamped on one area of the sham is Army Technical School, Sioux Falls, S.D. The wide variety of shams made for a sweet gesture from a loving husband, son, brother, or beau.
