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Who was Rosie the Riveter? Why do Americans everywhere claim her as their own? Why did California’s First Lady, Maria Shriver, recently include a life-sized statue of Rosie the Riveter at the entrance of the new California State History Museum’s exhibit in Sacramento featuring California’s Remarkable Women? Why does that statue strongly resemble a Fallbrook resident?
To answer these questions and more, this reporter traveled to the State Capital in Sacramento, researched the state archives and obtained photographic evidence never before publicly released as to the true identity of California’s “Rosie the Riveter.” Here, then, is the first-ever exclusive interview with the flesh-and-bone native Californian and Fallbrook resident whose image was molded into a life-sized statue to capture that confident, determined “Can Do!” attitude that is so admired, respected and reflected in remarkable American women.
Alive and well in Fallbrook? Can’t be! Most of us recall that Rosie the Riveter was a media propaganda creation designed to encourage women to fill in for men while they were fighting World War II. There were posters, film clips and a variety of items containing images of Rosie. The most famous one had her wearing a red and white bandana covering her hair and shown with a rolled-up sleeve of her blue coverall to expose a flexed bicep. Now… for the rest of the story — and an interview with Fallbrook’s “Rosie the Riveter” model, Faye Jonason.
Question: Faye, is it true that a life-sized statue of “Rosie the Riveter” now on display at the California State History Museum in Sacramento is actually a cast of you?
Faye Jonason: “Well, the answer is both yes and no. The story about that particular statue of Rosie goes back in time to the building of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, about 25 years ago. I was hired as assistant curator of collections. It was my first museum job, and one of my assignments was to do research and look for railroad clothing that people wore while working for railroad companies. Eleven life-casts were created for the museum. One of those was to be a woman. It was decided that the life-cast would be “Rosie the Riveter,” and I was surprised to be asked to be the model for the full-body cast.
So the answer to your question is yes, the model is of me, but in a much larger sense, the icon, Rosie the Riveter, is the real subject and has come to symbolize those capable and determined female workers who had so much to do with the success of the United States during World War II. More than six million women from all backgrounds worked at industrial jobs in America that challenged traditional notions of women’s capabilities. That was before my time… and those women are the true Rosies represented by the statue on display.”
Q: Is there some reason why Rosie is so important a figure in California?
FJ: “During the war years of 1941 to 1945, shipyards in California produced more ships, faster, and better than had ever been done in any time in the history of the world. With millions of men in uniform and out of the workforce, tens of thousands of women were recruited to do what had previously been considered “men’s work.” They soon become collectively known as “Rosie the Riveter.” An excellent Rosie the Riveter/Home Front World War II National Historical Park was established in Richmond, CA, to commemorate and interpret their contributions.”
Q: Can you tell me about the casting process and what it involved?
FJ: “I was the first person to be cast, as some of the men selected were a little uneasy about being covered in plaster for an hour. The completed castings combined full body and head. They are referred to as life-casts rather than as mannequins and are very detailed, even to the extent of having fingerprints.
The artist and state-park interpreter, Frank Hickox, had developed his own unique process for life-casts. He cast the head in a mélange, which is kind of an algae, seaweed-based compound that dentists used to make impressions of your mouth. The mélange was first heated up and then cooled down to about 118 degrees. It was very wet but dried quickly. It took a perfect impression of everything, including wrinkles.
The cast was done in two parts. He started with the face. I wore a bathing cap and bathing suit. He put Vaseline all over everything to release the mélange. He placed a string over the top of my head and put the mélange on, which went over everything, including inside the ears and the nostrils. He let the mélange cool down and then put wet plaster on top of everything and worked with it as it thickened. I had no straws in my nostrils but had to blow out to create holes through which to breathe.
Before it had totally hardened, he pulled the string, slicing through the plaster, and split the plaster into two halves, the head and the face. It took about an hour for the plaster to dry to the right level. That was the first stage and my part of it. I was told there were 27 additional steps before the life-cast was complete.”
Q: I understand that “Rosie the Riveter” has been displayed at the California Railroad Museum since it opened in 1982. Why was it moved this year?
FJ: “The figure was part of the exhibit in the California Railroad Museum in Sacramento until Maria Shriver asked for all state museums to contribute to the new women’s exhibit at the Secretary of State Archives California State History Museum.”
Q: How does it feel when you saw yourself as a statue at the new women’s exhibit?
FJ: “It’s quite a kick to walk into the Secretary of State Archives building and see myself right there at the entrance. But you know, when she was first cast, I was quite a bit younger and I was, at that time, a little dismayed that the weight of the plaster stretched my skin, creating jowls that made me look a lot heavier and older than I was. Today, I go up there and it looks better than the real me! It seems that I’m giving in to the gravity now.”
Faye Jonason remains employed in California museum work as Marine Corps Camp Pendleton’s History and Museums Officer.
For more information about the California State History Museum log on to http://www.castatehistory.org.
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