Unexpected Christmas Discovery

“Unexpected Christmas Discovery” by Norman Rockwell (1956)

For Christmas of 1956, Rockwell captured a moment of truth in a young boy’s life. While snooping in his parent’s bedroom, he comes across a familiar suit and puts two and two together. The result is an expression of shock and disillusionment that Rockwell made so vivid, you can feel it rising from the page.

But Rockwell wasn’t content to present just a comic scene. He filled the frame with details to build atmosphere and reward close attention.

Note how he captured the wood grain of the dresser — the nicks, dings, and stains that make a piece of furniture almost a member of the family. Then there’s the twine that secured the box with Dad’s suit and beard and the mothballs that have rolled across the carpet. Rockwell even went to the effort of including the open door through which junior snuck in, the stair rails beyond, even a glimpse of the house next door — details only a dedicated artist would include.

Rockwell’s model, Scott Ingram, became a minor celebrity for his expression of wide-eyed surprise. Being the figure on a Rockwell cover, he said, changed his life. He received fan mail, and was asked to autograph pictures and books. He even appeared on TV with Rockwell on the Hallmark Hall of Fame. He fondly remembered the milkshakes he received at the end of each session.

Cover Girl

 “Cover Girl” by Norman Rockwell (1941)

To assure a successful cover, Rockwell grabs the viewer's attention with a trick he matches the cover girl's face perfectly to the schoolgirl's body. By picturing a reader so engrossed in the Post, Rockwell emphasizes the interest and allure of the magazine, thus promoting its sale on newsstands. Beyond the gimmick, a story of growing up emerges in the simple scene of commuting to school. A young girl will soon leave behind her scuffed saddle shoes for polished heels and her cozy mittens for kidskin gloves.

In 1943 the original painting was given as a gift to Walt Disney, with Rockwell's personalized inscription "To Walt Disney, one of the really great artists, from an admirer, Norman Rockwell." In 2001 the painting was donated to the Norman Rockwell Museum by the Disney family.

Freedom From Want/ The Thanksgiving Picture

 Freedom from Want, also known as The Thanksgiving Picture or I'll Be Home for Christmas, is the third of the Four Freedoms series of four oil paintings by American artist Norman Rockwell. The works were inspired by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union Address, known as Four Freedoms.

The painting was created in November 1942 and published in the March 6, 1943, issue of The Saturday Evening Post. All of the people in the picture were friends and family of Rockwell in Arlington, Vermont, who were photographed individually and painted into the scene. The work depicts a group of people gathered around a dinner table for a holiday meal. Having been partially created on Thanksgiving Day to depict the celebration, it has become an iconic representation for Americans of the Thanksgiving holiday and family holiday gatherings in general. The Post published Freedom from Want with a corresponding essay by Carlos Bulosan as part of the Four Freedoms series. Despite many who endured sociopolitical hardships abroad, Bulosan's essay spoke on behalf of those enduring the socioeconomic hardships domestically, and it thrust him into prominence.

The painting has had a wide array of adaptations, parodies, and other uses, such as for the cover for the 1946 book Norman Rockwell, Illustrator. Although the image was popular at the time in the United States and remains so, it caused resentment in Europe where the masses were enduring wartime hardship. Artistically, the work is highly regarded as an example of mastery of the challenges of white-on-white painting and as one of Rockwell's most famous works.

How to Diet

 “How to Diet (Baker Reading Diet Book)” by Norman Rockwell (1953)

“How to Diet (Baker Reading Diet Book)” considers the quandry of a chef's attempt to lose weight while surrounded by delectable sweets all day long. Amidst the temptation of exquisitely decorated tiered cakes, discarded cupcake tins and freshly mixed icing, the baker fixates on the thinly sliced carrot wavering before him. Mouth agape, clutching an instructional guide titled 'How to Diet,' the earnest baker commits himself to nutrition in spite of this tantalizing environment. The present work served as an amusing anecdote for Post readers, and a reminder of the quick-witted nature of Rockwell's style of painting.

In order to consistently appeal to a wide audience, Rockwell’s choice in subject matter for such covers often stemmed from his immediate surroundings — a tactic that allowed him to relate to the everyday reader. “The best ideas you will get for covers will develop from what happens right around you,” he insisted. Residing in the small town of Arlington, Vermont, Rockwell found inspiration in the actions and experiences of the local community — so much so, that he paid residents five dollars to model for his pictures. Whether a hired local or a willing friend, finding the right model was central to the artist’s ability to perfect his vision.

Reference photos for “How to Diet (Baker Reading Diet Book)” shed light on the lengths that Rockwell went to achieve the desired outcome. Likening himself to a movie director, Rockwell positioned his models in specific poses and finessed their facial expressions and body language every step of the way. “Almost anyone can act if given enough encouragement,” he said of the process. The hands-on artist went so far as to demonstrate how to hold a prop or stand so that his models would get the idea. The reference photo on the left shows the model sporting the full chef’s attire, the fork raised to his mouth in a manner that mirrors the configuration of the finished painting. Notably absent, though, are the tiered cakes and surrounding props and the baker’s face is remarkably animated. Alternatively, the reference image on the right substitutes the chef’s attire for the previously missed cake cart. The difference between these two images is central to Rockwell’s artistic process, who preferred to work from several photographs of the same slightly varied scene, rather than a single image. The effect of this unique approach is a dynamic painting composed of multiple carefully-curated moments rather than an individual photograph.

Rockwell often received criticism by those who considered his illustrations to be old-fashioned or overly commercial; however, his use of photography as early as the 1930s to achieve his vision and the meticulous creation of props to support this process speaks to his forward-thinking and imaginative artistic spirit. In Baker Reading Diet Book, Rockwell handmade these elaborately-decorated cakes in his studio out of cardboard, and frosted them with a concrete-like material in order to give the impression of icing — an approach adopted by real bakeries in order to entice window shoppers with the scrumptious look of their products. Gene Pelham, Rockwell’s photographer and studio assistant of fourteen years, assisted with the production of “How to Diet (Baker Reading Diet Book)”. Between constructing the props and capturing snapshots of the model, he played an integral role in the execution of this painting. From the knocked over cake stand to the dirtied rolling pin covered in flour, the whimsical and spontaneous nature of this painting are indebted to Rockwell’s affinity for photography and his employment of live models.

Baker Reading Diet Book is both light-hearted and comedic, no doubt a reflection of the prosperity felt in post-war America. The 1950s symbolized a new wave of prosperity in America, and Rockwell’s idyllic subject matter reflected this welcome shift. Juxtapose Rockwell’s approach to dessert with that of a more contemporary artist, such as Wayne Thiebaud, and it is clear that the qualities that made “How to Diet (Baker Reading Diet Book)” such a hit sustain the test of time. Contemporary collectors cherish Thiebaud’s use of commonplace objects to evoke feelings of nostalgia and sentimentality. His cakes, ice cream cones, pies and other commodities often appear in orderly conformations and repetitive patterns - a visual feature that feels quite reminiscent of Rockwell’s tiered cake arrangement in the present work.

Norman Rockwell dedicated himself to painting real people in relatable situations in the hopes of finding common ground with the average Saturday Evening Post reader. “How to Diet (Baker Reading Diet Book)” perfectly encapsulates this approach to his art. The choice to abstain from sweets in contrast with the chef’s impulse to indulge is pure human nature, and thus suits Rockwell’s reputation for narrating shared experiences. Further than that, though, this particular cover is rich in humor and provides Rockwell’s audience with comedic relief — an objective inherent in his illustrations and a large factor in the forty-seven year relationship shared between him and the Post. While the attention paid to props, model selection, and photographic planning contribute greatly to the success of this painting, it is the ingenious and quick-witted nature of Rockwell’s narrative that weighs heavily on the work’s lasting appeal.

Happy Birthday Miss Jones

 Saturday Evening Post cover March 17, 1956.

Rockwell intended this painting to be a tribute to his own eighth-grade teacher who had encouraged him to draw. Gathering a local model and students, Rockwell used a real grammar school classroom in Stockbridge as his reference.

Walking to Church

 Walking to Church is a 1952 painting by the American painter Norman Rockwell, painted for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post's April 4, 1953, issue.

The painting depicts a husband and wife with their three children walking to church through a city street. 

Marriage License

 “Marriage License” by Norman Rockwell (1955)

It depicts a young man and woman filling out a marriage license application at a government building in front of a bored-looking clerk. The man is dressed in a tan suit and has his arm around his partner, who is wearing a yellow dress and standing on tiptoe to sign her name. Although the room and its furnishings are dark, the couple are illuminated by the window beside them. The contrast between the couple and the clerk highlights two reoccurring themes in Rockwell's works: young love and ordinary life.

Rockwell had a long history of using people who lived near him as models. He used photographs of local shopkeeper Jason Braman; Stockbridge, Massachusetts, native Joan Lahart; and her fiancé Francis Mahoney as a reference while creating the painting. Lahart was suggested for the role by her sister Peggy, a nurse at the Austen Riggs Center where Mary Rockwell was receiving treatment. During the photo shoot, Braman was captured in a more natural and uninterested pose compared to the one envisioned by the artist. Rockwell liked it and used it for his painting instead.

Sunday Morning

 “Sunday Morning” by Norman Rockwell (1959)

By his body language, it’s obvious that Dad has no good reason for not joining his family for Easter morning church service. Sunk down in his tub chair, he’s probably been holding up the sports section to avoid eye contact with his family. Now, as mom, the twins, and junior pass, Dad’s cigarette smoke rises like a whisp of guilt.

Only junior breaks ranks to regard his guilty father with an amazed look that Dad’s getting away with skipping church.

Dad’s guilt is only compounded by the fact that he’s been sitting in that chair for hours, as evidenced by the disassembly of the Sunday paper, the empty coffee cup, and a cluttered ashtray.

And if, after all this, we’re uncertain about Dad’s sabbath sloth, ­Rockwell has provided him with two devilish “horns” of hair.

It’s not clear whether Rockwell identified with this dad, but the view out that living room window in Sunday Morning is, in fact, the view from Rockwell’s studio.

Diving Board

 Boy on High Dive, 1947 is one I relate to.  I can remember being so afraid to jump off the diving board as a child.  The original of this painting is now owned by Steven Spielberg.    

This sculpture called "High Dive" was recently created for an art museum.  It is based on Rockwell's painting.

Saying Grace

 “Saying Grace” by Norman Rockwell (1951) The painting depicts a woman and a young boy saying grace in a crowded restaurant, as they are observed by other people at their table. Rockwell's inspiration for Saying Grace came from a Saturday Evening Post reader who saw a Mennonite family praying in a restaurant. Rockwell used his son, Jarvis, as one of the models for the painting. Elizabeth Goldberg, director of American Art at Sotheby's said that in his preparations for Saying Grace Rockwell "... visited Automats and diners in New York and Philadelphia to get the scene just right ... his imagery was so vivid people would say they recognized the diner even though it didn't exist, each painting felt so universal."Rockwell took the table and chairs from a diner in Times Square for the photo shoot for the painting. In preparations for a painting Rockwell would set up a scene, using his friends and neighbors, taking hundreds of photos until satisfied. Rockwell would produce sketches in charcoal, then oil sketches, before painting the final image. Norman Rockwell’s 1951 painting “Saying Grace” broke auction records in 2013, when it sold at Sotheby’s in New York City for $46 million. That is the highest price an American painting has ever garnered at auction.

Puppy Love

 

Puppy Love, a Norman Rockwell painting, appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post published April 24, 1926. This is another timeless favorite of Rockwell collectors, a classic for the ages.

The official title for this illustration is Boy and Girl Gazing at Moon, but I have always heard it referred to as Puppy Love, so that is why I named this article with the more popular alternate title. Other alternate titles for this painting include Little Spooners, First Love and Sunset.

This painting was Rockwell's fourth cover for The Post in 1926. In 1926, there were ten Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post covers published.

Triple Self Portrait

Triple Self Portrait is one Rockwell's most famous paintings.  The following explains why he painted it:

 “Triple Self Portrait” by Norman Rockwell (1960)

Humor and humility were essential aspects of Norman Rockwell's character, so when asked to do a self-portrait that would announce the first of eight excerpts of his autobiography, the results were lighthearted and somewhat self-deprecating. The painting provides the essential elements not of his life as an illustrator, but of the specific commission. Rockwell's life is far too eventful and complex to begin to approach summation in a single work so he limits the composition to himself, his artists' materials, his references, a canvas on an easel, and a mirror.

Ruby Bridges: The Problem We all Live With

 The Problem We All Live With is a 1964 painting by Norman Rockwell that is considered an iconic image of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. It depicts Ruby Bridges, a six-year-old African-American girl, on her way to William Frantz Elementary School, an all-white public school, on November 14, 1960, during the New Orleans school desegregation crisis. Because of threats of violence against her, she is escorted by four deputy U.S. marshals; the painting is framed so that the marshals' heads are cropped at the shoulders, making Bridges the only person fully visible.  On the wall behind her are written the racial slur "nigger" and the letters "KKK"; a smashed and splattered tomato thrown against the wall is also visible. The white protesters are not visible, as the viewer is looking at the scene from their point of view. The painting is oil on canvas and measures 36 inches (91 cm) high by 58 inches (150 cm) wide.

No Swimming

 Norman Rockwell might have been thinking of his boyhood summer vacations in upstate New York as he captured a simple joy of country life in No Swimming. Rockwell was branded as a kid illustrator during the early years of his career, which were dominated by his association with Boys' Life magazine and then another children’s magazine, St. Nicholas. He perfected documenting life from the point of view of boys and girls in genre paintings such as this one, capturing slices-of-life just as a camera might have. But such images, just a click away for photographers, were a challenge for artists. Before Rockwell began using photography to aid his painting process, his models had to hold their poses for lengthy stretches, sometimes with limbs propped up by stacks of books or held with ropes and pulleys. Rockwell kept a pile of nickels on a table next to his easel. “Every twenty-five minutes," he recorded, “I’d transfer five of the nickels to the other side of the table, saying, ‘Now that’s your pile.' ”

I love this one as it reminds me of a story my dad told often from his childhood.  He and other boys growing up in Logan, Utah would often go swimming/ skinny dipping in the Logan river.  They chose a secluded spot and often met there to swim and swing on a rope over the river.  One day, a policeman came and told them someone had reported them and that it was illegal to skinny dip.  He put them all in his patrol car and took them down to the police station.  It turned out it was just to scare them- and it was successful.  They just let them all go home.  Dad always ended the story by saying they got the policeman back by dripping as much water all over his backseat as they could.  

Missing Tooth

 Missing Tooth, September 1957

This is my favorite Norman Rockwell painting.  I have a print of it hanging in my family room.  There is a reason I love it.  As soon as I saw it, I thought, "We could have been the models for this painting!"  It looks so much like me, my sister Joan, and our friend, Debbie Runyun.  Debbie is the one that lost the tooth, I'm the one checking it out, and Joan, who was always shyer is the cutie in the blue dress.  This takes me back to my childhood every time I look at it.  Isn't it great?

Girl at Mirror

 “Girl at Mirror” by Norman Rockwell (1954)

This piece follows a long tradition by fine artists of picturing a woman contemplating her reflection. George Hughes said that a painting by Edouard Manet inspired this painting. Two paintings by other artists stand out as strong candidates, however. Included in Rockwell's reference files are examples of Picasso's Girl at Mirror and Elizabeth Vigee-Lebrun's The Artist's Daughter, each of which could have directly influenced this work.

First Flight

 “First Flight” by Norman Rockwell on the cover of “The Saturday Evening Post,” June 4, 1938.

The old woman is fully engaged with the experience of flying as she tracks her progress on a flight map. Famed reporter Richard Harding Davis best described the transformation he underwent after experiencing his first flight. “A wonderful thing happened,” he wrote. “I began to understand why young men with apparently everything to make them happy on earth persist in leaving it by means of airplanes.... What lures them is the call of a new world waiting to be conquered, the sense of power, of detachment from everything humdrum, or even human, the thrill that makes all the other sensations stale and vapid, the exhilaration that for the moment makes each one of them a king.”

How times have changed. Commercial flight is now routine and mostly uncomfortable and annoying.

This picture reminds me of my mom and a story she told.  She and my dad were going to fly to Hawaii on vacation.  Her mom told her that she'd better take a lunch.  It would be a long flight.  So she made beef tongue sandwiches, of all things, to take with them.  But while on the flight, they were served a lovely hot meal.  She laughed about that.  My mom was a geography buff and loved to look at maps.  She always wanted to know where we were on a map.  I often think how she would enjoy GPS now.

Young Valedictorian

 Painted around 1922, this was a Rockwell painting that was never published.  Editors later titled it "Young Valedictorian."  Reminiscent of a Rembrandt painting, the details are exquisite.  

Spring Flowers

 

“Spring Flowers” by Norman Rockwell (1969) Norman Rockwell's charming still life, Spring Flowers, was published in McCall's in 1969. It was inspired by his third wife, Molly. By using her sun hat, garden gloves, sneakers, and the arrangement of flowers in the basket, Rockwell portrays Molly's presence without painting her directly. It is a portrait of a woman who stays in touch with nature through the medium of her garden.

Four Freedoms

 

“Four Freedoms” by Norman Rockwell (1943)

Rockwell's Four Freedoms—Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear—were first published on February 20, February 27, March 6, and March 13, 1943, along with commissioned essays from leading American writers and historians (Booth Tarkington, Will Durant, Carlos Bulosan, and Stephen Vincent Benét, respectively). They measure 45.75 by 35.5 inches (116.2 by 90.2 cm) except for Freedom of Worship which measures 46.0 by 35.5 inches (116.8 by 90.2 cm). Rockwell used live models for all his paintings. In 1935, he began using black-and-white photographs of these live models extensively, although he did not publicly reveal he did so until 1940. The use of photography expanded the possibilities for Rockwell who could ask models to pose in positions they could hold only for brief periods of time. He could also produce works from new perspectives and the Four Freedoms represented "low vantage point of Freedom of Speech, to close-up in Freedom of Worship, midrange in Freedom from Fear, and wide angle in Freedom from Want".

In 1939, Rockwell moved to Arlington, Vermont, which was an artist-friendly community that had hosted Robert Frost, Rockwell Kent, and Dorothy Canfield Fisher. Of the move from New Rochelle, New York, Rockwell said "I was restless ... The town [of New Rochelle] seemed tinged with everything that happened to me". In New Rochelle, he had both endured a divorce and run with a fast crowd. Artists John Carlton Atherton, Mead Schaeffer, and George Hughes established residences in Arlington soon after Rockwell. The resident artists, Rockwell included, were mutually supportive and hired local citizens as their amateur models. Using photography and Arlington residents as models, Rockwell was able to capture what he referred to as "human-looking humans", who were generally working-class people, in an hour or so rather than hire professional models for the entire day. Rockwell paid his models modestly. Rose Hoyt, who was engaged for a total of three photographic sessions for Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Worship, earned $15 for her sittings.

When the US entered the war in 1941, it had three agencies responsible for war propaganda: The Office of Facts and Figures (OFF), The Division of Information of the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), and the Office of Government Reports (OGR). The OFF was responsible for commissioned artwork and for assembling a corps of writers, led by Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish. By mid-1942, the Office of War Information determined that despite the efforts of OFF in distributing pamphlets, posters, displays, and other media, only a third of the general public was familiar with Roosevelt's Four Freedoms and at most one in fifty could enumerate them. The Four Freedoms had been a "campaign to educate Americans about participation in World War II".

On May 24, 1942, Rockwell was seeking approval for a poster design at The Pentagon because the Artists Guild had designated that he'd advocate for the U.S. Army Ordnance Department. Robert Patterson, who was then United States Undersecretary of War, suggested revisions. On the same day, he visited with Thomas Mabry of the Graphic Division of the War Department's Office of Facts and Figures, which coordinated war-themed posters and billboards. Mabry relayed the need for Four Freedoms artwork. Rockwell returned home pondering the Atlantic Charter, which had incorporated the Four Freedoms.

Rockwell remembered a scene of a local town meeting in which one person spoke out in lone dissent, but was given the floor, and was listened to respectfully, despite his solitary opposition. He was inspired to use this scene to illustrate Freedom of Speech, and Rockwell decided to use his Vermont neighbors as models for an inspirational set of posters depicting the themes laid out by Roosevelt the previous year in a Four Freedoms series. He spent three days making charcoal sketches of the series, which some sources describe as color sketches. Rockwell's patriotic gesture was to travel to Washington, D.C., and volunteer his free services to the government for this cause. In mid-June, accompanied by Schaeffer, he took four charcoal sketches to Washington, where they stayed at the Mayflower Hotel, as the two sought commissions to design war art. During the trip, Rockwell was asked by the Boy Scouts of America to continue his annual creation of a new painting for their annual calendar by publishing representative Orion Winford. He was unable to hold Patterson's attention during their meeting, so he met with the new Office of War Information (OWI), where he was told "The last war you illustrators did the posters. This war we're going to use fine artists men, real artists."

On his return trip to Vermont with Schaeffer on June 16, they stopped in Philadelphia to meet with new Saturday Evening Post editor Ben Hibbs. Many accounts portray this visit as unplanned, but whether it was is unclear. Hibbs liked Rockwell's Four Freedoms sketches, and he gave Rockwell two months to complete the works. A June 24 correspondence from The Post clarified that both Rockwell's and Schaeffer's series would be published. By June 26, The Post's art editor James Yates notified Rockwell of plans for a layout of paintings with an accompanying essay or accompanying essays by President Roosevelt.

Rockwell's summer was full of distractions. At one point a Manhattan gastroenterologist prescribed a surgery of uncertain nature, though it was not performed. He had commissions for other magazines and business complications regarding second reproduction rights. He also had his Boy Scout commitment. Under time constraints, Rockwell made every excuse to avoid all other distracting assignments. In October, The Post sent its art editor to Arlington to check on Rockwell's progress. At about the same time, despite its Graphics Division chief Francis Brennan's outrage, the OWI began showing signs of renewed interest. In fact, after Rockwell was chosen the entire OWI Writers' Division resigned. The press release associated with the resignation asserted that the OWI was dominated by "high-pressure promoters who prefer slick salesmanship to honest information. These promoters would treat as stupid and reluctant customers the men and women of the United States”. There was further turmoil in the OWI from a faction supporting work by Ben Shahn; Shahn's work was not used in propaganda because it lacked general appeal. Several artists were commissioned to promote the war, including Jean Carlu, Gerard Hordyke, Hugo Ballin, and Walter Russell. Russell created a Four Freedoms Monument that was eventually dedicated at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The series took seven months to complete, and was finished by year-end. Supposedly, Rockwell lost 10 pounds (4.54 kg) from the assignment. As Rockwell was completing the series, he was motivated by news of Allied setbacks, a fact that gives the work a sense of urgency. Models included a Mrs. Harrington who became the devout old woman in Freedom of Worship and a man named Jim Martin who appears in each painting in the series (most prominently in Freedom from Fear). The intention was to remind America what they were fighting for: freedom of speech and worship, freedom from want and fear. All the paintings used a muted palette and are devoid of the vermilion Rockwell is known for.

Some sources published after Rockwell's death question whether the government was truly as discouraging as Rockwell claimed. They cite an encouraging April 23, 1943 correspondence with Thomas D. Mabry of the OWI (a former executive director of the Museum of Modern Art). At the time, the three government propaganda agencies were disjointed until they were unified under the OWI on June 13, 1942, by a Presidential Executive Order. Furthermore, the writers' division, led by MacLeish, was under pressure for failing to deliver a message intelligible to people of varying intelligence.

Upon completion, Rockwell's works were briefly exhibited at the West Arlington Grange before being delivered to The Post in Philadelphia. The series arrived in Philadelphia in January 1943. Roosevelt was shown the paintings in early February, and The Post sought Roosevelt's approval for the series of paintings and essays. Roosevelt responded with both a personal letter to Rockwell and an "official" letter of commendation to The Post dated February 10. Roosevelt instructed The Post to have the OWI have the essays translated into foreign languages so they could be presented to leaders at the United Nations.

The Freedoms were published in a series of four full-color, full-page editions, each accompanied by an essay of the same title. The panels were published in successive weeks in the order corresponding to Roosevelt's speech: Freedom of Speech (February 20), Freedom of Worship (February 27), Freedom from Want (March 6), and Freedom from Fear (March 13). For the authors of the accompanying essays, Hibbs had numerous options given the number of regular contributors to The Post.