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Norman Rockwell
American Illustrator
1894-1978
"Without thinking too much about it in specific terms, I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed. My fundamental purpose is to interpret the typical American. I am a story teller." (Norman Rockwell)
The widely popular Norman Rockwell was best known for his magazine covers and illustrations for such prominent American periodicals as the Saturday Evening Post, the Ladies' Home Journal, and Look.
| Rockwell was born on 3rd February 1894 in New York City, and
having won a scholarship to Art Students League, he trained there and received
his first free-lance assignment from Condé Nast at 17 years of age.
In 1916 he sold his first cover to Saturday Evening Post, for which in the next 47 years he illustrated a total of 317 magazine covers.
Click here to see the full pane of "American Illustrators". The link will open in a new window. |
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Rockwell was a careful craftsman with an ability to represent detail realistically. His favorite subjects were everyday events that celebrated small-town life and patriotic themes. The scenes were often humorous and executed with minute attention to detail so realistic that his paintings frequently resemble photographs. Though loved by the public, Rockwell's work was dismissed by most critics as lacking artistic merit and authentic social observation.
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From 1925 to 1976 Rockwell illustrated the Boy Scout
Calendar, and in 1979 -- the year after his death -- Liberia issued a huge set of 50
postage stamps in large format, featuring these paintings as
"Scouting through the eyes of Normal Rockwell". (Scott #
853 - 857). The stamp is interesting, because Normal Rockwell has
depicted himself beyond the easel, in the midst of scouts.
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The set has 5 denominations: 5c, 10c, 15c, 25c, and 35c. There are 10 different designs in each denomination. This collection is very attractive, and much sought after by collectors of the Scouting Topic. Click on the link below each stamp to see a slideshow of the 10 stamps contained in that denomination. The link will open in a new window. (ca. 1 Mb each).
Liberia 1979. |
Liberia 1979. |
Liberia 1979. |
Liberia 1979. |
Liberia 1979. |
Rockwell also designed many posters and painted a famous series, The Four Freedoms, based on principles pronounced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 and incorporated into the Atlantic Charter. During World War II posters of these paintings were reproduced and distributed by the Office of War Information.
Rockwell's autobiography, "My Adventures as an Illustrator", was published in 1959.
In 1961, Rockwell married Molly Punderson, a retired teacher. Two years later, he ended his 47-year association with The Saturday Evening Post and began to work for Look Magazine. During his 10-year association with Look, Rockwell painted pictures illustrating some of his deepest concerns and interests, including civil rights, America's war on poverty, and the exploration of space.
Over time a huge number of postage stamps featuring Norman Rockwell's paintings have been issued by various countries. Here is a nice set from Romania, issued 1981, featuring Children's Games.
Hopscotch |
Soccer |
Riding Stickhorse |
Snagging the Big One |
A Patient Friend |
Doggone It |
Puppy Love |
Flying Model Planes |
In 1973, Rockwell established a trust to preserve his artistic legacy by placing his works in the custodianship of the Old Corner House Stockbridge Historical Society, later to become the Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge, where Rockwell had lived for his last 25 years.
| Built in classic New England style at a cost of more than $9 million, the museum houses Norman Rockwell's old studio and some 500 of his paintings and drawings. The trust now forms the core of the Museum's permanent collections. In 1976, in failing health, Rockwell became concerned about the future of his studio, and arranged to have his studio and its contents added to the trust.
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In 1977, Rockwell received the nation's highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for his "vivid and affectionate portraits of our country" by President Gerald R Ford.
He died in his home in Stockbridge on November 8, 1978, at the age of 84.
Sources and links:
Mark Twain (on this site).
Other illustrators on this site:
Hans Erni (Swiss Lithographic Artist)
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| Revised 10-jul-2007. Ann Mette Heindorff Copyright © 1999-2007. All Rights Reserved |
