This 1941 photo of Geraldine Hoff Doyle by J. Howard Miller for United Press International eventually made its way on to the cover of a 1986 Time-Life book, 'The Patriotic Tide: 1940-1950'. Ann Arbor Woman Who Inspired 'Rosie the Riveter' Dies at 86 in Chicago
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Geraldine Hoff Doyle, the woman who inspired the "Rosie the Riveter" icon that brought more women into the World War II workplace, has died in Chicago.
National Public Radio is running a program in tribute to Geraldine Hoff Doyle, whose photo taken in 1941 by a United Press International photographer, helped inspire the nation -- especially women war industry workers.
As the Lansing State Journal writes, it captured a 17-year-old girl wearing a bandana on her head who was working at a metal-pressing plant near Ann Arbor.
That image influenced a poster that "evoked female power and independence under the slogan 'We Can Do It!,' " The Washington Post writes. It became one of the most-famous "Rosie the Riveter" illustrations of the war.
Geraldine Hoff Doyle of Lansing, who did not realize she had spawned an icon until 43 years later, died Sunday at a hospice in Lansing. She was 86.
The State Journal said Doyle never claimed to be the "real" Rosie: "She would say that she was the 'We Can Do It!' girl," [her daughter, Stephanie] Gregg said. "She never wanted to take anything away from the other Rosies."
But, the newspaper adds, "it was Doyle's poster that would eventually become the central face of Rosies everywhere and the rallying cry for an entire social movement."
Shortly after Miller took the photo, Doyle left her job at the factory. She had been shocked to learn that another worker at the factory had badly injured her hands working at the machines and feared her skills as a cellist might be in danger.
She worked at a soda fountain and a bookshop in Ann Arbor where she met a young dental school student and later married him.
It was not until 1984 when Doyle came across an article in Modern Maturity magazine that connected her UPI photo with the wartime poster of "Rosie."
"She didn't have those big muscles," said her daughter Stephanie Gregg of Eaton Rapids. "She was busy playing cello."
The original photo of Doyle was featured on the cover of the 1986 Time-Life book "The Patriotic Tide: 1940-1950."
"You're not supposed to have too much pride, but I can't help have some in that poster," Doyle told the Lansing State Journal in 2002. "It's just sad I didn't know it was me sooner."
Geraldine Hoff was born July 31, 1924 in Inkster, Mich., and grew up in Ann Arbor, where her father was an electrician.
Her husband of 66 years, Leo H. Doyle, died in February. A son, Gary Doyle, died in 1980. In addition to her daughter Stephanie, survivors include four children, Jacqueline Drewes of Eaton Rapids, Mich., Brian Doyle of Holt, Mich., Deidre Doyle of Fort Myers, Fla., Lauretta Doyle of Hollandale, Wis.; a brother; a sister; 18 grandchildren; and 25 great-grandchildren.
The "We Can Do It!" poster was scheduled to be displayed in Westinghouse facilities for only two weeks in February 1942. Soon, however, it took on a whole new life.
In the early 1940s, Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb composed the song "Rosie the Riveter."
Simple lyrics helped the tune become a staple on radio stations coast-to-coast: "All day long whether rain or shine, she's part of the assembly line. She's making history, working for victory, Rosie the Riveter." After the song had become popular, the May 29, 1943, edition of the Saturday Evening Post cover featured a Norman Rockwell illustration of a muscular, red-headed riveter with the name Rosie painted on her lunch pail.
From then on, many people began to associate the hardworking female factory employee with the name "Rosie," and so the title stuck to Miller's poster. Several women claimed to be the "real" Rosie the Riveter, including Rose Monroe, an aircraft parts worker who appeared in a propaganda film promoting war bonds.
In the decades since the poster's creation, the image has evolved into a pop culture reference that generated scores of imitations.
Based on Miller's artwork, and Doyle's likeness, are "Rosie the Riveter" T-shirts, bags, aprons, costumes and figures.
In 1999, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp based on the "We Can Do It!" poster.
Doyle made numerous appearances in Michigan to speak about her experience and sign "Rosie" posters, until recent years when her arthritis limited her mobility and writing ability.
Doyle said she never made a penny from the Rosie photo because she was too busy tending to her family and "changing diapers all the time."
NPR's "All Things Considered" is airing a short tribute to Geraldine Hoff Doyle.
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