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Naomi Parker Fraley, the Real ‘Rosie the Riveter,’ Dead at 96

Posed for the famous portrait, but was not recognized for her role until late in life.

Naomi Parker Fraley, a California woman who posed for the famous “Rosie the Riveter” poster died Saturday, her family confirmed Monday. Fraley, who was 96 at the time of her death, posed for the picture while working at an Alameda, California factory in 1942. The famous picture, which showed Fraley flexing her arm with the caption “We can do it!” became an iconic feminist image. But for decades, Fraley was not identified as the model in the picture, and scholars mistakenly concluded that a different female factory worker had posed for the portrait. Fraley was only widely recognized as the real “Rosie the Riveter” in 2016, after scholar James J. Kimble published an article revealing the findings of a six-year investigation into Rosie’s identity.