The Flexed Arm and the Polka-Dot Bandana Still Anchor Every Americana Sale

A woman with her sleeve rolled up, bicep flexed, staring straight out at the viewer, hair knotted in a polka-dot bandana — the picture is so familiar that most people could not say exactly where they first saw it. That is the nature of the image: it became one of the defining pictures of American wartime resolve, and it is the kind of image that keeps surfacing wherever Americana collectors gather, from poster lots to pin-back buttons to reproduction tins. The pose alone, arm up and gaze fixed, is enough to identify it without a caption.

With reporting from The Collector.