While men traded their regular clothes for soldier uniforms during World War II, women traded the cooking utensils for power tools and took on a completely different position in society. The traditional role of women was to be a housewife in those times, a hectic and time consuming job at that, but when WWII came about and men were off fighting overseas, women held the fort down in the US; women were what kept America strong in those times.
A woman is trained to work on an engine installation at the Douglas Aircraft Company, 1942.
The most crucial manufacturing jobs at factories and plants were done by women – jobs that would provide aid in war support, from building B-24 bombers, producing munition to supplies.
Rosie the Riveter might just be a cultural icon, but the real Rosie is seen in all these vintage photos of strong women who replaced men during these pivotal times of war.
Mrs. Irma Lee McElroy painting the American insignia on airplane wings. Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas in August, 1942A “Rosie” working on a A-31 Vengeance bomber, Nashville, TN 1943.Women working on a bomber, Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, CA 1942.A woman preparing metal parts to go through a multi-ton hydropess. North American Aviation, Inc. 1942.Drilling a wing bulkhead for a transport plane, Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in Texas 1942.A woman finishing a bombardier nose section of a B-17F navy bomber, Douglas Aircraft Company, 1942.A woman working as a shop technician at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant in Long Beach, 1942.Assembling a section of leading edge for the horizontal stabilizer of a plane, North American Aviation, Inc. in Inglewood, California, 1942.A woman working on self-sealing gas tanks at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. in Ohio, 1941.Mrs. Virginia Davis being trained to take over her husband’s work, Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, TX, 1942.
Michelle Bird is a Southern California based freelance photographer and writer, with a strong focus on music, editorial and portrait photography. She is the founder and creative force behind the music+culture online blog Black Vinyl Magazine, and can often be found in the photo-pit shooting the latest concerts in town. She has a strong passion for art, exploring, vintage finds and most of all animals. Connect with her through Email,
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