Smart: Norman Rockwell’s Birthday and the Birth of a Feminist
Icon February 3rd, 2010 marked the 116th birthday of Norman
Rockwell. Google’s clever inclusion of his art among the letters
of the search engine’s logo alerted me to the historic date. Oh
Google! You went and did it again with your clever
intertextuality. Rockwell rose to artistic fame with his
Americana paintings depicting everyday life and its sentiments.
On May 29th, 1943 The Saturday Evening Post ran as its cover
Rockwell’s painting of “Rosie the Riveter.” Norman Rockwell’s
painting was the first widely publicized visual representation
of Rosie the Riveter. Rockwell’s Rosie was a commanding figure
decked in overalls and a matching work shirt. Sleeves rolled up,
Rosie was muscular and ready to work. With an American flag
waving as the entire backdrop, Rosie sits on her lunch break
balancing her lunch box – her sign of humanity – and her
riveting gun – her symbol of power, importance and
patriarchically-validated purpose. Rosie was hard at work,