The collection of Roberta Wells is arranged into two series: Military Service and Political Service.
Military Service (1943-1946) includes manuscript materials from her application, enlistment and post-war life. Enlistment and service materials include instructions for application to the Women Marines, transportation orders, certificates of enlistment and a post-service employment survey from the Marines. Ephemera from her service includes religious materials from church, newsclippings and other materials she collected. The sheet music is for “Your Kiss is Like a Melody” from Eugene Whitworth, and is autographed with a dedication to Wells. Of particular interest is a poem entitled “The Women Marines are Winning the War, Partly Blue,” with a hand-written note from Roberta, stating that the officers would like to know who wrote the poem. Included in the collection is a scrapbook, which has been dismantled for preservation purposes, copies of the original layout of the scrapbook are included with the manuscript materials while the photographs are in the scrapbook files in the photographs. Training materials from the Marine Corps provide information about the duties of each department of the Corps and hierarchies for the armed services at varying levels. Victory in Japan Day ephemera includes a napkin and news articles about the Victory in Japan Day celebrations.
Photographs in the Military Service series include training and enlistment, service and official photographs from the Marine Corps. Wells took and collected many images of the base during her time there. Included are photographs of her fellow Women Marines on the deck of a ship during a trip. Military life photographs include images of the women marines interacting with other men on base at social events, such as a dance and a dinner, and an office picnic taken by the public relations office, and more casual images of the interactions between Marines and Women Marines on base. The Marine Corps wedding features a wedding between two marines, with their fellow marines in attendance. Included are many views of Hawaii, taken by Wells during her time there.
While working in the publication office, Wells developed and approved for publication photographs from the front lines in the Pacific. These photographs include enlarged prints of Wells and a male marine washing a puppy in a bucket, two copies of the “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” photograph and a beach. Official photographs capture images of Marines in battle in Japan, after-action images of men in stretchers and leisure time images, often featuring Marines with puppies. Parade photographs cover many angles of a parade the Women Marines marched in, including images of the crowd and photographers. Official photographs of the Women Marines capture their arrival in Hawaii and on base, more candid shots of them working on base, parade review and a Taps ceremony.
Wells's personal photographs offer a more casual look at life on base in Hawaii. There are a series of photographs at a camp made up of tents with several shots of the wider camp. The Women Marines are shown waiting at an airstrip and boarding a plane, then departing on a large ship with other marines. Milton Leidner's photographs are from his time in the 8th Air Force as an instruments specialist overseas. Images include several portraits of Leidner and several group photographs. Group photographs are mostly of Leidner and others at an airfield. There is a postcards featuring Wells and two other Women Marines walking down a street and another advertising a club for Women Marines on Honolulu. Photographs of Wells alone, with groups and other Women Marines tend to be much more relaxed than official photographs. They often capture candid moments in the barracks and on base.
Political Service (1974-1981) focuses mainly on Wells's time in Madison as a member of the city board and the transportation committee. Manuscript materials include campaign materials, letters and newsclippings she kept on relevant issues. Photographs feature Wells at city board meetings.
Due to her local notoriety as a city board member, there were many articles written about Wells during her time in Madison. Wells was locally famous as a city official and had been part of a famous group of Women Marines to go overseas, there are many articles about her. Included is a copy of a Leatherneck article about the Women Marines' trip and arrival in Hawaii, features and obituaries on Wells and a small obituary for her father-in-law in a Jerusalem newspaper. Wells's political materials include campaign letters, leaflets and mailings to her constituents, congratulatory notes from friends and co-workers and certificates for her various positions. Wells's collection of newsclippings include many topics. Issues of air, rail and road transportation are covered in many articles. Wells's opinion appears in most articles on city matters and transportation matters. Her main focus on the transportation committee and city board was the expansion of Madison's and Dane County's public transportation system to cut down on car traffic. Also covered in news clippings are election results, endorsements from various newspapers and opinion pieces on Wells and her work.
Photographs of her political service show Wells being sworn in and attending city board meetings and a group of city board members in a marsh. The color photograph is of Wells at a meeting.
