About the Cover When the United States almost overnight joined World War II, war production had to increase dramatically in a short period of time. Most men had entered the military, so the government launched a campaign to recruit women to supplement the workforce. In 1942 a song that gave a patriotic defense worker a name, Rosie the Riveter, became a national hit: "All the day long, Whether rain or shine She’s part of the assembly line. She’s making history, Working for victory Rosie the Riveter" The song talks about Rosie keeping "a sharp eye out for sabotage, sittin’ on the fusilage" in a melody that is upbeat and catchy. Then in May 1943, Norman Rockwell gave a face to the popular image of Rosie on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post. His model was Mary Doyle, a 19-year-old telephone operator in Arlington, VT. The painting depicted a muscular Rosie, clad in overalls and a work shirt with the sleeves rolled up, pausing for lunch with her lunch box and riveting machine perched on her lap. Still she wore lipstick and fingernail polish, and her red curls were neatly arranged, making her feminine despite her muscles and clothing. She reminded women everywhere that all must do their part, and Rosie became an American icon. In 1942 Westinghouse’s War Production Coordinating Committee had commissioned J. Howard Miller of Pittsburgh to design a series of posters for the war effort. Miller’s image on the "We Can Do It" poster was based on a photograph of a Michigan factory worker named Geraldine Doyle, and did not become associated with Rosie the Riveter until later in the century. But a few months after Rockwell’s Rosie was published, the government came out with its "We Can Do It" poster featuring what has now become the most recognizable image of Rosie that is our cover.