Geraldine Doyle
Geraldine Doyle | |
|---|---|
 Hoff in 1942 at age 17 | |
| Born | July 31, 1924 Inkster, Michigan,U.S. |
| Died | December 26, 2010(aged 86) Lansing, Michigan,U.S. |
| Known for | Disproved claim to be the model for the "We Can Do It!"poster |
| Spouse |
Leo H. Doyle
(m.1943; died 2010) |
| Children | 6 |
Geraldine Hoff Doyle(July 31, 1924 – December 26, 2010) was an American woman who had been widely and mistakenly promoted in the media as the possible real-lifemodelfor theWorld War IIera "We Can Do It!"poster, later thought to be an embodiment of the iconic World War II characterRosie the Riveter.However, it was later shown that the 1942 news wire service photograph likely depicts another young war worker,Naomi Parker.[1][2][3][4]
Life
[edit]Geraldine Hoff was born inInkster, Michigan.Her father Cornelious was anelectrical contractorwho died ofpneumoniawhen she was 10 years old. Her mother, Augusta, was acomposerwho hadscoliosis.After graduating from high school inAnn Arbor, Michigan,in 1942 Hoff found work as a metal presser in theAmerican Broach & Machine Co.of Ann Arbor.[5][6]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 acellist,Hoff feared a hand injury from the metal pressing machines, and left the factory after having worked there for only two weeks.[5][7]During the brief time she worked there, according to Doyle, aUnited Press Internationalphotographer took a picture of her. Soon after quitting work as a metal presser, Geraldine Hoff met and married dentist Leo Doyle in 1943. The couple had six children (a son, Gary, died in 1980) and remained married until his death in February 2010.[5]
Claim of connection to "We Can Do It!" poster
[edit]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 was rediscovered and used by advocates of women's equality in the workplace. In 1984, Doyle came across an article inModern Maturitymagazine which showed a photo of an unidentified young war worker at aturret lathe.In 1994, Doyle saw the "We Can Do It!" poster on the cover of theSmithsonianmagazine. Doyle felt she recognized herself in both the photo and the poster[8]and in the 1990s communicated with historian and author Penny Colman of her connection to the photo and therefore to the poster.[9]News media outlets, upon Doyle's death, memorialized her as the model for the famous poster, without citing evidence beyond Doyle's assertions.[5][2][6][7][8][10]Doyle assumed that the photograph had inspired the poster.[1]Later investigation,[11]however, suggests that the press photo most likely shows California war workerNaomi Parker,the photo taken atNaval Air Station Alamedain March 1942,[3][4][12]at a time when Doyle was attending high school.[1]Doyle did not claim to have met or sat for poster artist J. Howard Miller, but only to have been the woman depicted in this particular press photo which many believe inspired the poster.[6][9]TheACME Newspictureswire service image of Naomi Parker was used as the cover image for the Time-Life bookThe Patriotic Tide: 1940–1950published in 1986.[10][13]
The "We Can Do It!" image 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.[14]
Death
[edit]Geraldine Hoff Doyle died on December 26, 2010, inLansing, Michigan,as a result of complications from severearthritis.[5][10][15]
References
[edit]- ^abcKimble, James J. (Summer 2016). "Rosie's Secret Identity, or, How to Debunk a Woozle by Walking Backward through the Forest of Visual Rhetoric".Rhetoric and Public Affairs.19(2): 245–274.doi:10.14321/rhetpublaffa.19.2.0245.ISSN1094-8392.
- ^ab"Michigan Woman Who Inspired WWII 'Rosie' Poster Has Died: The Two-Way: NPR".NPR.2015-09-09. Archived fromthe originalon September 9, 2015.Retrieved2016-03-01.
- ^ab"Museum Collections, U.S. National Park Service -".museum.nps.gov.Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-07.Retrieved2016-03-01.
- ^ab"All This and Overtime, Too - 42-62386550 - Rights Managed - Stock Photo - Corbis".www.corbisimages.com.Retrieved2016-03-01.
- ^abcdeMcLellan, Dennis (December 31, 2010)."Geraldine Hoff Doyle dies at 86; inspiration behind a famous wartime poster".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved31 December2010.
- ^abc"Geraldine Doyle Obituary (2010) - The Record/Herald News".Legacy.com.Retrieved2024-04-25.
- ^ab"Geraldine Doyle, inspiration for 'Rosie the Riveter,' dies at 86".NBC News.Archived fromthe originalon 7 Aug 2012.Retrieved2024-04-25.
Geraldine Doyle left her factory job after two weeks
- ^abChuck, Elizabeth (December 30, 2010)."Geraldine Doyle, inspiration for 'Rosie the Riveter,' dies at 86".Field Notes from NBC News.Archived fromthe originalon January 1, 2011.RetrievedJuly 1,2015.
- ^ab"Rosie the Riveter Image | Penny Colman".2011-04-28. Archived fromthe originalon April 28, 2011.Retrieved2016-03-02.
- ^abcShapiro, T. Rees – Washington Post staff writer (2011-12-29)."Geraldine Doyle, 86, dies; one-time factory worker inspired Rosie the Riveter and 'We Can Do It!' poster".The Washington Post.RetrievedSeptember 6,2012.
- ^KRCR."Northstate woman shares experience as 'Rosie'".KRCRTV.Retrieved2016-03-02.
- ^"Naomi Parker Fraley".www.naomiparkerfraley.com.Retrieved2016-03-01.
- ^The Patriotic Tide: 1940–1950 (This Fabulous Century).Time-Life Education. 1986. pp. cover image.ISBN0809482002.
- ^Diversity Development (April 2003)."Women on Stamps"(PDF).Publication 512.United States Postal Service. p. 24.RetrievedSeptember 6,2012.
- ^Moss, Hilary (December 30, 2010)."Geraldine Hoff Doyle Dead: 'Rosie The Riveter' Inspiration Dies At 86".Huffington Post.Retrieved1 January2011.
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