Geraldine Doyle, 86, passed away at a hospice in Lansing, Michigan on 26 December (10) after suffering complications from arthritis.
She was just 17 years old when her photograph was taken while working in a metal factory, leaning over a piece of machinery with a red and white polka-dot bandana tied over her head.
The picture was then said to have been used by artist J. Howard Miller as the inspiration for a 1942 poster depicting Rosie the Riveter, the brunette heroine flexing her right arm and declaring: ‘We Can Do It!’
The image was commissioned to boost morale for American women taking jobs in manufacturing plants to replace male workers serving in the military.
The Rosie character became a feminist icon in the U.S. although Doyle was unaware she was Miller’s muse until 1984 when she read an article which linked her to the poster.
Ironically, Doyle left her role at the factory shortly after the snap was taken – she lasted just two weeks on the job.
