Norman Rockwell’s ‘Rosie The Riveter’ Dies, Mary Doyle Keefe Was 92

inquisitr.com ^ | 4-22-15 | The Inquisitr

[TurboZamboni]

Mary Doyle Keefe, the model for Norman Rockwell’s Rosie The Riveter painting, which was used to help inspire American women to work on U.S. soil throughout World War II, has died at the age of 92.

Mary Ellen Keefe, Mary Doyle’s daughter, confirmed that her mother died after a brief illness in Simsbury, Connecticut, on Tuesday.

Keefe, who grew up in Arlington, Vermont, which is where she first met Rockwell, posed for the image when she was just 19 years old. At the time of the painting, she was working as a telephone operator. However she became immortalized when the painting featured on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post‘s May 29, 1943, edition.

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Rockwell exaggerated Keefe’s figure in order to get the picture and painting that he wanted. Rockwell did this so that his Rosie The Riveter was depicted as strong. Keefe was very petite, and Rockwell decided to exacerbate her arms and shoulders to make them very large and broad.

[milagro]

Our church has its own Rosie the Riveter. She will turn 90 TODAY!!!

[TangoLimaSierra]

[OrangeHoof]

[Red Badger]

And redhead...................my fave............

[Busko]

May God rest her soul!!!

[SandRat]

ping & BTT

[Maceman]

I never saw that picture. This is the only Rosie the Riveter picture I've ever seen:

[luvie]

What a cool lady! What an honor it must have been to be captured by such a wonderful illustrator!

[Repeal The 17th]

My mama was “Rosie the Naval Fuse Plant worker”.
She will be 95 in June.

[buckalfa]

later

[SeekAndFind]

THE REAL ROSIE THE RIVETER

[SeekAndFind]

[NRx]

Memory eternal.

[Leaning Right]

Part of the Greatest Generation

[Vermont Lt]

She looks like a pretty strong 90 year old. I think she looked better recently than back then.

[ßuddaßudd]

classic Americana . .

[patriot08]

Rip, Rosie.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[oldplayer]

Just like Milagro posted, it turns out that there were a number of Rosie’s around the country. In the days before national instant news, etc., it was good publicity to have various women identified. We have a Rosie in our church, too. She’s also 90. Worked in the Tulsa McDonald Douglas plant. She was tiny and went into the crevices of bombers under construction to back up rivets and retrieve dropped tools. She overcame her fear of tight spaces and the dark to do it!
Oldplayer