Legendary America, Visiting Crystal Bridges

December 12, 2021 Mike Goad

Dust, Drought, Depression, and War No. 28

Rosie the Riveter, Norman Rockwell's iconic image of an American woman employed in the production of military hardware, is a powerful reminder of women's critical contribution to World War II. Pictured at rest during her lunch break, Rosie's powerful physique projects confidence as she spans the canvas in front of the American flag. This image appeared as a cover of the Saturday Evening Post in 1943. It became a beacon of patriotism as marked by the patriotic badges across the bib of Rosie's overalls and the tattered copy of Mein Kampf that lies crushed under her foot.

Rosie the Riveter, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas

1943
Oil on Canvas

Rosie the Riveter, Norman Rockwell’s iconic image of an American woman employed in the production of military hardware, is a powerful reminder of women’s critical contribution to World War II. Pictured at rest during her lunch break, Rosie’s powerful physique projects confidence as she spans the canvas in front of the American flag. This image appeared as a cover of the Saturday Evening Post in 1943. It became a beacon of patriotism as marked by the patriotic badges across the bib of Rosie’s overalls and the tattered copy of Mein Kampf that lies crushed under her foot. (Exhibit signage)