Geraldine Hoff Doyle Dead: 'Rosie The Riveter' Inspiration Dies At 86

Geraldine Hoff Doyle, the inspiration for "Rosie the Riveter," died on Sunday at the age of 86 due to complications from arthritis, the Washington Post reports.

Rosie's story began in the 1940s, when the 17-year-old Doyle was working at a metal factory in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A visiting United Press International photographer snapped a pic of her on the job.

The image was then used by artist J. Howard Miller for the "We Can Do It!" poster, released during World War II. As the Washington Post writes, "For millions of Americans throughout the decades since World War II, the stunning brunette in the red and white polka-dot bandanna was Rosie the Riveter."

A later "Rosie the Riveter" interpretation, done by Norman Rockwell, was featured on the Saturday Evening Post in 1943. Ultimately, the idea of "Rosie the Riveter" came to represent all female factory workers at the time.

But for decades, Doyle had no idea that her likeness was used on the original poster. The New York Times writes:

Mrs. Doyle was unaware of the poster's existence until 1982, when, while thumbing through a magazine, she saw a photograph of it and recognized herself. Her daughter said that the face on the poster was her mother's, but that the muscles were not.

"She didn't have big, muscular arms," [her daughter Stephanie] Gregg said. "She was 5-foot-10 and very slender. She was a glamour girl. The arched eyebrows, the beautiful lips, the shape of the face -- that's her."

According to the Wall Street Journal, Doyle quit after just one week at the factory where her picture was made famous. "She later married a dentist and raised a family in Lansing, Mich.," the Journal reports.

Doyle is survived by five children, 18 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

An image of Doyle courtesy of her family, via the Wall Street Journal:

Norman Rockwell's Rosie cover:

WATCH a video on Rosie the Riveter:

Comments

[Siren Song]

08:02 PM on 01/01/2011

My mother worked as a riveter at night, while she attended college during the day. It was hard work, but she was glad to help the war effort.

[MichaelAKD]

10:08 AM on 01/01/2011

it is regrettable but at least in my experience i was not taught anything on the subject until college. however thanks to the efforts of my instructors there i learned how important this character, rosie the riveter, was in altering and improving the role of women in our society in the days after the end of WWII. the importance of "rosie" in the push for equality for women and equal rights cannot be underestimated. based on that alone it is a terrible shame i had to wait til college to learn about this and what is even worse is that there are millions of americans out there that as a consequence of a terrible system of public education who wouldn't know the difference between rosie the riveter and bess truman. if the citizens of this nation don't know where we were and how we ended up where we are today then how can they ever be expected to make wise decisions as part of the voting electorate. history is more than just the memorization of dates and names rather it should be the story and all that goes with. women's rights, minority rights, the notion of equality, all owe a debt of gratitude to the accidental role played by a fictional character created during one of this nation's darkest hours.

[TomJoad1965]

02:06 AM on 01/01/2011

Don't for get the women that went to work during WW1, they earned enough respect form there male counterparts that got them the right to vote!

[MichaelAKD]

10:28 AM on 01/01/2011

imho there is a lg diff between being allowed to vote and gaining social status as equals. wyoming for example was the first state to give women the right to vote. why? because of politics. there were so few people to vote that the established parties saw it in their best interest to give women, a new demographic the right to vote so as to help them garner more power. it was a power play then and had nothing to do with equality just as it did on the national stage post WWI. rosie was different, that effort, that campaign affected societal wide views of women deserving of equal rights in our society. remember it was only a few decades earlier that women still had not gained the legal ability to own property let alone vote. women in this country may have been given the right to vote nationally after WWI but the change in being treated as second class citizens took something extra, that extra something/s being WWII and imagery like that of rosie the riveter, the wacs and all those women who decided to stay in the work force after the war.

[TomJoad1965]

01:33 PM on 01/01/2011

I'm a fan!
No.28.

[Gentleman Agitator]

10:27 PM on 12/31/2010

Thank you to all the posters who related stories from their families. My favorite part of the war to study is life on the Homefront. My mother was in high school during the war and helped out at her train station hand out food to GIs passing through. Going through the experience of living through that war was something that stayed with her the rest of her life. I have dedicated a playlist at YouTube called, "Homefront 1940s." Here, I have collected as many films as I can find referring to the homefront experience for American and British civilians. Plus some of the great music! You can see it at: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=78F89BA91C2258A3 My favorite Rosie image is this one I found on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mohistory/3884826319/in/gallery-19187991 She is as awesome as the famous artwork.

[yippiekiaay]

04:59 PM on 12/31/2010

The beauty inspired the photographer.
The photograph inspired the artist.
The artist inspired the nation.
Quoting the article:
"Doyle quit after just one week at the factory where her picture was made famous."
All the fanfare is misdirected.

[Akovia]

07:07 PM on 12/31/2010

I don't know about misdirected fanfare, yippie. After all, Ms. Doyle didn't even know that her image was the object of so much interest. If the person receiving the "fanfare" didn't know about it I question that there was any! The imagery did rally a huge amount of patriotic energy which without a doubt helped save the USA from defeat in WW2. No misdirection there, either.

[whatthe heck]

04:13 PM on 12/31/2010

Rosie the riveter was and is newsworthy because she represente­d women entering workplace jobs they had never had the opportunit­y to attempt ... they suceeded beyond any stereotype of women's fraility. BTW dan supporting those who are serving is not equivalent to endorsing the politics of the current wars. Not voting is the biggest way that those who oppose these wars enabled them to happen! I hope you are a voter or you DID contribute to these immoral illegal war

[foxisms]

05:26 PM on 12/31/2010

Did not "represent"...not purposefully or intentionally.
Hers was celebrity by circumstance, of which she wasn't even aware until much, much later in life.

[foxisms]

04:12 PM on 12/31/2010

Not much to say about this that would likely meet with the approval of many...I just wanted to see if it would post, today.
Heaven knows out of over a half dozen comments I attempted to post yesterday when the topic was current none did.
I was and remain puzzled at the security covering this topic.

[Pasque]

03:39 PM on 12/31/2010

This idea of women "going to work" to help win the war was a great morale booster for all Americans during this difficult time. Dan must be young to feel this way about this story.

[Dan Stewart]

02:45 PM on 12/31/2010

Must be a very, very slow news day.

[sourcreamapplepie]

03:09 PM on 12/31/2010

I am glad they posted this article. By reflecting on important people, trends, and events of the past we can learn more about ourselves as a country now. It allows us to see what path we are on good and bad, how things have changed...Reading this article I think comparison of WWII to the Iraq War era is very interesting. You had a war effort that depended upon sacrifice from the general public and one in which every level of society was expected to contribute something to one that now really effects only a small number of us. I would bet that most of our population couldn't even be bothered to know what is going on in Afghanistan right now. Not to mention the loss of American innovation and manufacturing power. Thank you, Rosie.

[Gentleman Agitator]

03:22 PM on 12/31/2010

Bush only told us to go shopping. Pathetic.

[Dan Stewart]

03:31 PM on 12/31/2010

I didn't say it wasn't an interesting subject, I said it wasn't newsworthy, which it clearly is not.  But, it may be very much worthy of study -- which is what libraries and the internet can be used to for.

Btw, as for "contributing to the war effort" -- why would anyone want to contribute in any way to an immoral and illegal war?

[Gentleman Agitator]

03:22 PM on 12/31/2010

Please show some respect.

[Morena]

01:49 PM on 12/31/2010

What a beauty!

[gappedtoothgodwarrior]

03:12 PM on 01/09/2011

Agreed, she was lovely.

[USCOASTGUARDVET]

12:16 PM on 12/31/2010

God Bless you Rosie, my grandmother worked at Pratt and Whitney, working on plane engines, thanks to you and your gumption, Rosie, a true American Hero!!!!

[Gentleman Agitator]

03:18 PM on 12/31/2010

Thank you to your grandmother who helped preserve our freedom.

[jsntrenkler]

11:36 AM on 12/31/2010

Goodbye Rosie, you have inspired many.

[gumbo1049]

09:31 AM on 12/31/2010

Along with her has died the industries that built America.Other than the auto industry which without them we would have lost WW II,we don't manufacture much of anything thanks to outsourcing.

[Gaylord P Farqua]

09:15 AM on 12/31/2010

Rosie was a symbol of American ingenuity and patriotism. As a nation we pulled together and defeated a real threat to our existence as a nation.  The death of this lady who would become the poster girl for the war effort is a belated symbol of the end of our industrial strength and, as a nation that pulls together on virtually anything. Instead of legions of working men and women in industry across the nation we have become a nation of unemployed, foreclosed, and without even dependable health care. As a people we have surrendered our passion for freedom to the acquisition of stuff. We cannot even mount a decent opposition to wars  that  are destroying what little we have left in our treasury or to resist the oligarchy that has taken over our electoral process. In all of our history the notion that "money talks" has never been more true.  Beginning with the last election we will witness just what damage the Robert's Court has done to the way we choose our leaders. The symbols of the "way we were" are all but gone.

[Gentleman Agitator]

03:20 PM on 12/31/2010

Though I do not think politics needs to be in this thread, your post was well said.

[greymom]

09:14 AM on 12/31/2010

They are building a museum dedicated to Rosie and other shipyard workers in Richmond, Ca. Part is already completed. They used to complete a battleship in two weeks. One of the ships, Red Oak, is there to see. It would make a nice day trip if you are ever in the San Francisco Bay area. Nearby Point Richmond is a nice stop for lunch.

[GardenerNorCal]

09:59 AM on 12/31/2010

My mom worked there.

[Siren Song]

08:05 PM on 01/01/2011

Many thanks for mentioning this.