"Going and Coming" (detail), Norman Rockwell, 1947. Oil on canvas, 16” x 31 ½” Cover illustration for "The Saturday Evening Post," August 30, 1947. Norman Rockwell Museum Collections. ©1947 SEPS: Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN

Rockwell once remarked that if a painting was not working he would put a dog in it. This included such memorable covers as No Swimming (1921), Boy with Stereoscope (1922), Going and Coming (1947), and The Soda Jerk (1953). View these and other fun Rockwell dog illustrations in Norman Rockwell Museum’s new exhibition It’s a Dog’s Life: Norman Rockwell Paints Man’s Best Friend, on view through November 11, 2011.

*Continuing the animal theme, Rockwell created 12 Post covers featuring cats, 11 featuring birds, 2 featuring a rabbit, and 1 featuring a donkey.