Our visit to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge was enriched by our tour guide who knew him. She pointed out his attention to minute details, such as a reflection of silverware in a water glass and the colored comics on a newspaper on a porch, that showed the depth of his talent. She also told of who posed, his family, neighbors, and friends, as well of where in the town the pictures were set. A scene of the town at Christmas is reenacted each year right where it is set. We enjoyed her story of her son who, after posing for some of the illustrations, refused to cash his check as it had Rockwell’s signature. Her talk provided a rich story for the paintings we viewed.
Of his 4000 paintings, the four most prominently featured represent the freedoms FDR sited in his speech during WWII. They were rejected by the Saturday Evening Post and subsequently traveled the country earning more money for war bonds than any other project. He left the Post, for whom he had created more covers than any other illustrator, and turned to social commentary, particularly the Civil Rights movement.
Near the museum is the studio where he created the paintings that became the illustrations that are so charmingly American. Unfortunately, photographs in the museum and studio were not permitted.
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