For about half a century now there’s been one image following feminism and constantly reinventing itself: That image is Norman Rockwell’s painting of “Rosie The Riveter.” The real-life inspiration and model for this painting was Mary Doyle Keefe, a single mother, actual riveter, and one of our favorite feminist matriarchs. And on Tuesday, April 21st, Keefe passed away.
We thank her for her landmark contribution to feminist history, and her lifetime of empowering acts. She passed away in Connecticut, with nothing short of a monumental existence behind her. Friends and family will take part in a memorial mass this Friday, but the rest of her many fans and followers can say goodbyes with gratitude and a swift flex of muscled grrl power arms.
Image Via TheNewYorkTimes, Wikipedia
