First Look: Remembering the ‘Rosies’

“History is etched on their faces,” said aviation photographer John Slemp. He photographed surviving “Rosies”—the women who worked in the factories, shipyards, aircraft assembly plants, and defense offices during World War II when most men were enlisted, and who became iconic symbols of women in the second world war. Slemp photographed many of the women during the annual convention of the American Rosie the Riveter Association.

“Rosie the Riveter” was a painting by Norman Rockwell depicting a woman in the traditional working garb of a female factory worker during the war. It was featured in the Saturday Evening Post in 1943. Also produced at around the same time was a morale-building poster for Westinghouse by Pittsburgh artist J. Howard Miller—the “We can do it” slogan. That poster became the cultural icon in later years, while the Rockwell painting became less known. Since the women were not employed after the war ended—and their roles not recognized by any official body—the story of the women was lost for a time. Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) were finally given veteran status by the U.S. government in 1977 (more than 1,000 women served and 38 lost their lives in the war). The American Rosie the Riveter Association was formed in 1998 by Dr. Frances Carter, who was a riveter on B–29 bombers built in Birmingham, Alabama. A Senate resolution declared March 21 “Rosie the Riveter Day” in 2017. “I really enjoyed meeting these women,” said Slemp. “They carry a certain honor, high quality that really grabs me. And they’re a hoot, too.”

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The Rosies