Iconic image symbolised the ‘can do’ attitude that became synonmous with American women of that era, writes John O’Connor

 

America’s entry into the Second World War in 1941, resulted in widespread male enlistment that left a gaping hole in the industrial labour force.

The American government launched a campaign to encourage female workers to fill the shoes of their male counterparts. The drive for female workers was spearheaded through media outlets from the press to movies. The propaganda machine called on each and every woman to leave the home front and to fill the void in the workforce.

So strong was the campaign for women to do their patriotic duty, that by 1943 women made up 65% of the aviation workforce, and by 1945 nearly one out of every four married women worked outside the home. The munitions industry relied heavily on women, which was clearly illustrated by the U.S. government’s, ‘Rosie the Riveter’ propaganda campaign.

Rosie the Riveter symbolised the strong, muscular, bandanna-clad working woman of the Second World War. Rosie, in working overalls with her sleeves rolled up, symbolised the ‘can-do’ attitude that became synonymous with the American women who flocked to the workplace to do their patriotic chore.
Mary Doyle, petite and red-haired, looked nothing like Rosie the riveter, yet her portrayal would become one of the most iconic images of the twentieth century. Mary Doyle, nineteen years of age in 1943, was about to make history as Rosie the Riveter.

Mary operated the switchboard in her mother’s house in Arlington, Vermont. One day in May, Norman Rockwell, who often stopped by to pay his phone bills, asked Mary to pose for a painting to aid the war effort. Mary agreed, and Rosie the Riveter was born.

Norman Rockwell was one of the most popular illustrators in the country and was noted for his depictions of the clean cut American way of life. An illustrator with the Saturday Evening Post, Rockwell preferred to use ordinary people rather than professional models.

He had Mary photographed by his right-hand man, Gene Pelham, who took several shots of Mary. Rockwell preferred to paint from photographs rather than still models. When Mary was first photographed, she wore a white blouse beneath her overalls and a pair of saddle shoes.

Rockwell wanted something different and asked her to sit again. The second shot depicted Mary, still in overalls, but this time wearing a blue blouse and penny loafers.

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