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Factory work modified women’s wear for industrial production. Blouses and dresses offered little protection and gave way to shirts, pants, and coveralls. Women tied long hair under a bandanna or other head covering. One Rosie recalled, “many of our mothers and aunts who worked in the defense plants never really adjusted to wearing what they considered to be men's clothing…whereas many of us younger women thought that pants and shirts were both very fashionable and chic.” The coveralls displayed here, worn by Evelyn DeLong Parris when she assembled Boeing B-29 Superfortress lower turrets at Bell Aircraft in Marietta, Georgia, were made specifically for factory work. Fashioned from durable, heavy cotton material, complete with stylish darts and pleats, the coveralls feature large pockets to hold tools and parts, and short sleeves to provide relief in warm weather. A very special thank you to the National Park Service, Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park, for making this exhibition possible, and to the Richmond Museum of History and Culture, and San Francisco State University, Labor Archives and Research Center. See "Rosie the Riveter: Womanpower in Wartime" on display, post-security, in Harvey Milk Terminal 1 or online at: https://bit.ly/RosieTheRiveterSFO 📸: Bell Aircraft coveralls, Evelyn DeLong Parris c. 1943–45 Hattie Snow Uniforms, Ogdensburg, NY Courtesy of the National Park Service, Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park RORI 706; L2024.0701.001 Grace Pankow displays a picture of husband Vernon under the lid of her toolbox c. 1943 Bell Aircraft Corporation, Wheatfield, NY Courtesy of the National Park Service, Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park RORI 1744; R2024.0701.004
This image was posted on November 13, 2024.