In the winter of 1944, Kosti Ruohomaa took a series of photos of volunteer craftsmen providing art therapy for wounded soldiers returned from World War II, in a program organized by the Red Cross. These master craftsmen worked with wounded veterans recovering in Halloran General Hospital on Staten Island in New York. “With recreational therapy for hospitalized veterans becoming a pressing need, the American Red Cross has organized a volunteer unit of professional arts and skills teachers to work with the boys at Halloran General Hospital in New York. This group, most of whom are the foremost in crafts handiwork and in the arts, teach[es] the soldiers wood-working, pottery, leatherwork, bookbinding, weaving, painting, clay work, and a multitude of other recreational skills which have proved their therapeutic value.” Aiming for a story, “cheerful and optimistic in note,” Kosti wrote an accompanying article and captions which he titled, “Red Cross Recreation Units Spreads Cheer at Halloran.”

(from Kosti Ruohomaa’s notes)