Geraldine Doyle
Geraldine Hoff Doyle (July 31, 1924 – December 26, 2010)[1] was the real-life model for the World War II era "We Can Do It!" poster, later thought to be an embodiment of the iconic World War II character Rosie the Riveter.
Geraldine Hoff was born in Inkster, Michigan. Her father Cornelious was an electrical contractor who died of pneumonia when she was 10 years old. Her mother, Augusta, was a composer stricken with scoliosis. After graduating from high school in Ann Arbor, in 1942 Geraldine found work as a metal presser in the American Broach & Machine Co. of Ann Arbor, Michigan.[1][2] (As men started enlisting and being drafted into military service for World War II, women began to support the war effort by taking on roles, including factory work, that were formerly considered "male only.")
Because she was a cello player, Geraldine feared a hand injury from the metal pressing machines and soon left the factory.[1] During the brief time she worked there a United Press International photographer took a picture of her. That image -- re-imagined by graphic artist J. Howard Miller while working for the Westinghouse Company's War Production Coordinating Committee -- became the basis for the poster Miller created during a Westinghouse anti-absenteeism and anti-strike campaign.
Soon after quitting work as a metal presser, Geraldine Hoff met and married dentist Leo Doyle,[1] to whom she remained married until his death in early 2010.
Because the "We Can Do It!" poster was created for an internal Westinghouse project, it did not become widely known until the 1980s, when it began to be used by advocates of women's equality in the workplace.
Doyle didn't know she was the model for "We Can Do It!" until 1984, when she came across an article in Modern Maturity magazine which linked a photo of her to the poster, which she hadn’t seen before.[3]
The Rosie the Riveter character, based on Doyle and other World War II-era women who worked in factories to support the war effort, remains an icon and appeared on a 1999 postage stamp as part of a World War II series produced by the U.S. Postal Service.
Geraldine Hoff Doyle died on December 26, 2010 in Lansing, Michigan, due to complications from arthritis, aged 86.[1] She is survived by her 5 children, 18 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e McLellan, Dennis (December 31, 2010). "Geraldine Hoff Doyle dies at 86; inspiration behind a famous wartime poster". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-geraldine-hoff-doyle-20101231,0,1376340.story. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
- ^ Geraldine Doyle: Obituary - legacy.com
- ^ Chuck, Elizabeth (December 30, 2010). "Geraldine Doyle, inspiration for 'Rosie the Riveter,' dies at 86". Field Notes from NBC News. http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/30/5738254-geraldine-doyle-inspiration-for-rosie-the-riveter-dies-at-86. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ^ Moss, Hilary (December 30, 2010). "Geraldine Hoff Doyle Dead: 'Rosie The Riveter' Inspiration Dies At 86". Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/30/rosie-riveter-dead-geraldine-hoff-doyle_n_802772.html. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
[edit] External links
- Everyday People
- We Can Do It -- the tale of an iconic image
- Online death notice
- Lansing State Journal article
- CNN.com news article, Geraldine Hoff Doyle, 'We Can Do It!' poster inspiration, dies at 86, December 30th, 2010
- Find A Grave page, Geraldine Hoff Doyle
- Find A Grave page, Leo H. Doyle
- Geraldine Doyle ist tot. Ihr Gesicht inspirierte das "We Can Do It!"-Poster mit der Nieterin Rosie
- Original photo of Hoff that inspired the painting., accessed December 31, 2010, from Celebrity Smack Blog.
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