List of Norman Rockwell Paintings
Norman Rockwell was a highly accomplished American photographer, painter, and illustrator that lived from 1894 to1978. Rockwell painted realistic scenes of people and American life in small towns. His works were highly recognizable by his homey style and frequent presence in popular magazines including "Boy's Life," "LIFE" magazine, and "The Saturday Evening Post." Rockwell created more than 4,000 works. His nostalgic paintings continue to influence artists, writers, and filmmakers.
"Freedom from Want"
"Freedom from Want" is one the most recognizable of all Rockwell paintings. More commonly called Thanksgiving Dinner, "Freedom from Want" appeared March 6, 1943, in "The Saturday Evening Post" and was used as a wartime poster. The painting depicts an older couple standing at the end of a neatly set dining table. The woman is wearing a blue dress and white apron, as she places a roasted turkey on the table surrounded by other family members.
"Doctor and the Doll"
The March 29, 1929, cover of "The Saturday Evening Post" featured "Doctor and the Doll." A gray-haired doctor sits in a chair at his desk, and listens intently through a stethoscope pressed against the chest of a doll held by a young girl wearing a coat and red knit cap.
"The Runaway"
This oil on canvas painting appeared on the cover of "The Saturday Evening Post" on Sept. 20, 1958. The painting depicts a police officer in uniform sitting at a lunch counter next to a little boy in blue jeans and yellow shirt. Beneath the green upholstered, shiny chrome stool where the boy is sitting, a red bandanna filled with his most important items is tied to a stick. The officer and a man behind the counter are listening intently to the boy.
"The Problem We All Live With"
"The Problem We All Live With" was part of a series Norman Rockwell painted for "LIFE" magazine that deals with racism in America. Capturing a moment from Nov. 14, 1960, Rockwell depicts Ruby Bridges as a six year old escorted by four federal marshals to her first day at William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, LA, shortly after desegregation. Bridges is shown wearing a light-colored dress, shoes and ankle high socks, with her hair in pigtails and light-colored ribbons. She carries a book and ruler during her famous walk into school past a wall with racist graffiti and a splattered tomato.
"Triple Self-Portrait"
Norman Rockwell's "Triple Self-Portrait" appeared on the cover of the "Saturday Evening Post" on Feb. 13, 1960, and depicts a lighthearted view of the artist painting his own self portrait while he looks in the mirror. Rockwell's back is to the viewer, as he sits on a stool in front of his easel, leaning over to look into a gilt-framed mirror topped with an American eagle carving. A glass half filled with a beverage rests precariously atop a book of paintings on the same chair where the mirror is perched. His hand is poised to paint the left ear of his nearly complete head. Attached to the left top corner of the canvas is a grouping of his self-portrait pencil sketches. On the opposite corner of his canvas, small copies of self-portraits by four other famous artists are attached, including one of Vincent van Gogh. The helmet of a Roman soldier crowns the top of Rockwell's easel, while paint brushes are scattered on the floor at his feet.
