Signed Group Portrait of African American "Rosie the Riveters"

Collection — Folder: 1

Identifier: 2018-00-00-24

The collection consists of a single black-and-white group portrait of eight (8) female African American Boeing assembly workers. It is likely the women worked at the Boeing Renton facility, circa 1940s. The women are posed in front of a Boeing B-29 Superfortress and each has signed the photograph with their name:

Back row, left to right: Louise Williams, [illegible], Velma Glass Johnson, Florence Thomas; Front row, left to right: Katie Jeffries, Althea Skelton, Ella Mae, Mary Johnson

Dates

circa 1940s

Language of Materials

All materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Extent

0.01 Cubic Feet (1 file folder)

Additional Description

Custodial History

The photograph was found affixed to a wall in an old building in downtown Seattle that was slated for demolition and was removed and donated to the Museum. It is not known how the photograph came to be there, as it was not believed that any prints had been made from the negatives. It is believed that all the negatives from this series were destroyed in the 1960s or 1970s.

Existence and Location of Copies

Materials from this collection have been digitized and are available at The Museum of Flight Digital Collections.

Related Materials at Other Insitutions

Additional background and biography of Althea Skelton, one of the women featured in this portrait, is available online at The Veteran's Breakfast Club. Found here: Althea Skelton biographical sketch

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title: Guide to the Signed Group Portrait of African American "Rosie the Riveters"
Status: Completed - Level 1
Author: J. Parent
Date: 2019
Description rules: dacs
Language of description: English
Edition statement: 1st Edition