The Woman Behind the "We Can Do It!" Poster

Kartini's Day has over, but I want to show you how the ladies rule the world in vintage era.

Ladies, I bet you knew this picture

But I also bet that you never know who's the girl in this poster.

This poster, also known as the-"We Can Do It!"-poster, is an American wartime propaganda poster made by J. Howard Miller in 1942. This poster was made as an inspirational image to boost worker morale. 

The iconic figure in this picture was called "Rosie the Riveter" after the iconic figure of a strong but feminine war production worker. On that time, there are so many women worked as factory worker, meanwhile their men serves at war. The power of the factory ladies captured in this poster that was made to empower the other girls to show that they also had the power -- just like the men.

So who's the lady in it?

The real "Rosie the Riveter" is a Michigan factory worker named Geraldine Hoff Doyle.

She was born in Inkster, Michigan, July 31, 1924.

After graduating from high school in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1942, Hoff worked as a metal presser in the American Broach & Machine Co. of Ann Arbor.

Working at a factory, which formerly considered as a "male only" occupation, began to filled with the ladies, as men started enlisting and being drafted into miliyary service for World War II.

"Rosie the Riveter" at a metal factory.
The source of this picture (thevintagelink.blogspot.com) didn't mention
whether the lady in this picture is Geraldine Hoff Doyle or someone else.

The "We Can Do It!" poster was created for an internal Westinghouse project, so 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 herself never know that she became an icon of female worker until 1984.

She came across an article in Modern Maturity magazine which linked a photo of her to the poster, which she had not seen before.

"Rosie the River" character remains an icon and appeared on a 1999 postage as part of a WWII series produced by the U.S. Postal Service.

Geraldine Hoff Doyle died on December 26, 2010 in Lansing, Michigan, as a result of complications from arthritis. She died in age 86 and left her 5 children, 18 grandchildren, and 25 great-grandchildren.

Doyle was gone, but her spirit as a tough female worker, remains forever to celebrate the power of a lady.

Geraldine Hoff Doyle, the real "Rosie the Riveter"