Rosie The Riveer Analysis

The War Production Coordinating Committee poster, also commonly known as “Rosie the Riveter”, is a poster depicting a fictional character created during World War II. J. Howard Miller, an artist from Pittsburgh, was hired to create a series of posters to contribute to the war effort; one included the famous “We Can Do It!” poster (Doyle). During the time period of war, America was sending the majority of their male population off to fight and the nation needed people in the workforce to replace all the men that left. “Between 1940 and 1945, the female percentage of the U.S. workforce increased from 27 percent to nearly 37 percent, and by 1945 nearly one out of every four married women worked outside the home” (History). In other words, more …show more content…
In the image, you can see Rosie, a young woman wearing a polka dot bandana and a blue collared shirt, and at the same, flexing her arms. At first, Rosie was seen as a symbol to millions of American women working in places like factories and munition plant to replace the depleted workload that men usually provided. Miller was not even the first to associate himself with Rosie the Riveter; the first ever instance that she was used was in 1942, where Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb wrote a song titled, “Rosie the Riveter” (Doyle). Back then, women never realized how much of a vital role they could provide in society, because traditionally they are seen to accomplish homely and domestic acts. The poster showed the strength women exerted and how the war could not be won without a feminine presence helping out. It could also be seen an iconic image to women’s civil rights. “...Once the idea of women working in factories came to life, it was hard to stop. After the men returned from war and metal products were not as much in demand, families had gotten used to this income. It also afforded women little more freedom than they had before the stereotypical mold was shattered” (HistoryNet). In other words, there was an increase of women wanting to do things outside of their norm of household chores; work fulfilled that role and gave them more …show more content…
It was taken in March 1936, at a camp for seasonal agricultural workers in California (Eyewitness to History). Lange was a photographer and the majority of her success came from her work during the Great Depression. She documented the rural hardships she encountered for the Farm Security Administration; her most notable work being “Migrant Mother”. Her photos showed to the general American public on how the Great Depression affected people. During this time, thousands of Americans were suffering through a national economic crisis; many were in poverty and couldn’t even find jobs. Lange’s photographs impacted many people, including the government who rushed a shipment of 20,000 pounds of food to the camp the picture was taken at (Eyewitness to History). For her valiant effort, in 1940, she received the Guggenheim Fellowship (Biography). “Migrant Mother” is a timeless piece that shows others what life is like for people that weren’t well off and had trouble supporting their own