Norman Rockwell: The Art of Persuasion

“No matter how beautiful an advertising picture may be, if it does not sell the product which it advertises, it is a failure.”

—Norman Rockwell

While taking classes at New York’s Art Students League in 1911 and 1912, Rockwell made a pact with his classmates “never to do advertising jobs,” which they considered more commercial than magazine illustration.  But the artist admitted that this promise was quickly broken. Rockwell’s narrative style lent itself to advertising, and George Lorimer, editor of The Saturday Evening Post, advised him to charge double the fee that he received for a Post cover.

Advertising illustrations for the Kellogg Company - Beanie, 1954

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Beanie, 1954.
Advertising illustrations for the Kellogg Company
Oil on canvas
Collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum, Gift of the Kellogg Company, NRM.1993.01

In the early 1950s, with a stroke of creative acumen, Chicago advertising director Leo Burnett paired popular icons Superman, Howdy Doody, and Norman Rockwell with Battle Creek, Michigan’s star cereal maker, Kellogg. After the discussion of several concepts, Rockwell was commissioned to produce four children’s portraits⸺two boys and two girls of different ages and types. Since these images were not only to be used in print ads but on cereal boxes, too, the paintings had to have the “strongest and brightest colors and the greatest contrast.”

Rockwell’s signature fresh-faced kids, beaming with enthusiasm, happiness, and most of all, good health, was a key to the success of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes marketing campaign.

Honesty, artistry, and integrity were qualities that were ascribed to Rockwell, making collaboration with the artist appealing for many companies. Descriptive words and phrases like “distinguished,” “noted,” “American Legacy,” “elegant taste and discrimination,” “unexcelled craftsmanship,” and “accustomed to the finest” made their way into advertisements that showcased Rockwell’s art. During his prolific career, he accepted commissions from more than one-hundred-fifty corporations, including Ford Motor Company, Pan American Airlines, Budweiser, Del Monte, Sun-Maid, and many more.

Rockwell categorized advertising illustration into two types – the direct approach, a picture of the target audience enjoying the product; and institutional, an image showcasing the company’s good will. He opined that some commissions limited the illustrator’s originality due to the advertising agency’s layout requirements and was disheartened when his artwork required changes. As Rockwell gained success, he accepted fewer advertising assignments and concentrated on cover and story illustrations work, which allowed him more creative freedom.

Norman Rockwell: The Art of Persuasion Gallery

Image Caption

Norman Rockwell: The Art of Persuasion gallery – on view through October 31, 2021.

About the Artist

Born in New York City in 1894, Norman Rockwell always wanted to be an artist. At age 14, Rockwell enrolled in art classes at The New York School of Art (formerly The Chase School of Art). Two years later, in 1910, he left high school to study art at The National Academy of Design. He soon transferred to The Art Students League, where he studied with Thomas Fogarty and George Bridgman. Fogarty’s instruction in illustration prepared Rockwell for his first commercial commissions. From Bridgman, Rockwell learned the technical skills on which he relied throughout his long career. Learn more…

IMAGES

The Lineman, 1948

Norman Rockwell (1894–1978)
The Lineman, 1948
Advertisement illustration for Bell Telephone Company, 1949
Oil on canvas
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Norman Rockwell Art Collection Trust, NRM.2007.11

Fruit of the Vine, 1926

Norman Rockwell (1894–1978)
Fruit of the Vine, 1926
Advertising illustration for Sunmaid Raisins, 1926
Oil paint on canvas

I’m thinking about my kiddie, 1922

Norman Rockwell (1894–1978)
I’m thinking about my kiddie, 1922
Advertising illustration for The Raybestos Company
Oil on canvas
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Museum purchase, NRM.1985.06

Raybestos, a brake parts company, emphasized the importance of safety in their ads, which had a broad targeted audience. In his seven illustrations for Raybestos, Rockwell portrayed a traffic policeman, a mechanic, a couple in a touring car, a bus driver, an elderly male driver, a railroad employee, and a mother and her daughter, seen here. In this monochromatic rendering, he depicts the two going for a jaunt in their car. The young urban woman is relatable; she looks confidently out at out at the viewer and explains why she has chosen to purchase reliable Raybestos brakes for her car.

Ironically, as these ads stressed the improved driving safety of their products, Raybestos workers were falling ill with asbestosis, a chronic inflammatory lung disease caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers. As the company’s name suggests, Raybestos brakes contained asbestos, a mineral containing microscopic strands that were released into the air when woven into brake lining fabric. The American public would not learn the extent of the devastating effects of asbestos for forty more years.

RELATED EVENTS

View Calendar

MEDIA

American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell (Remastered)

Published: December 12, 2017

Peter Rockwell on Vermeer’s “View of Delft”

Recorded: 1993

VENUE(S)

Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA      July 29 – October 31, 2021

Hours

OPEN
Mon 10am-4pm
Tue 10am-4pm
Thu 10am-4pm
Fri 10am-4pm
Sat 10am-5pm
Sun 10am-5pm

CLOSED
Wednesdays
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
New Year’s Day
ROCKWELL’S STUDIO
Closed for the season.
Opens May 1, 2025

Special Holiday Hours: Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve: 10am-2pm.

Admissions

There are limited daily tickets for tours of Norman Rockwell’s Studio. It is recommended you purchase your museum admission and studio tour tickets online in advance of your visit.  Museum Visit admission is required for all tours.

Buy Admission

Members Adult Seniors /
Veterans & Military		 Children MA Teachers College
Students
Museum Visit: Free $25 $23 Free $22 $10
Curator Tour:
Original Sisters		 $10 + $20 + $20 Free + $20 + $20
Guided Tour:
Rockwell’s Life & Art
(40 minutes)		 Free +$10 +$10 Free +$10 +$10

There are limited daily tickets for tours of Norman Rockwell’s Studio. It is recommended you purchase your museum admission and studio tour tickets online in advance of your visit.  Museum Visit admission is required for all tours.

Buy Admission

Museum Visit:
Members, Children, & Active Military: FREE
Adults: $25
Seniors & Retired Military: $23
MA Teachers: $22
College Students: $10

Guided Tour:
Rockwell’s Life & Art
(40 minutes) – additional purchase
Members, Children, & Active Military: FREE
Ticket per person: $10

Curator Tour:
Original Sisters
Members: $10
Children: FREE
Adults: $20
Seniors & Active/Retired Military: $20
College Students: $20

Additional Discount Opportunities:

  • Front Line Medical Workers receive free admission.
  • AAA member, NARM member, Stockbridge Resident, and EBT/WIC/ConnectorCare Cardholder discounts available.

For Free and Reduced prices, you may be required to present a valid ID demonstrating your status for qualifying for discounted pricing.

Available Discounts
Kids Free is supported by:
Connector Card is supported by:
Norman Rockwell Museum receives support from:

DIRECTIONS

Norman Rockwell Museum
9 Glendale Road Route 183
Stockbridge, MA 01262
413-931-2221

Download a Printable version of Driving Directions (acrobat PDF).

Important note: Many GPS and online maps do not accurately place Norman Rockwell Museum*. Please use the directions provided here and this map image for reference. Google Maps & Directions are correct! http://maps.google.com/

* Please help us inform the mapping service companies that incorrectly locate the Museum; let your GPS or online provider know and/or advise our Visitor Services office which source provided faulty directions.

Route 7 runs north to south through the Berkshires. Follow Route 7 South to Stockbridge. Turn right onto Route 102 West and follow through Main Street Stockbridge. Shortly after going through town, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

Route 7 runs north to south through the Berkshires. Follow Route 7 North into Stockbridge. Turn left onto Route 102 West at the stop sign next to The Red Lion Inn. Shortly after you make the left turn, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

Boston (two-and-a-half hours) or Springfield (one hour):
Take the Ma ssachusetts Turnpike (I-90) West, getting off at exit 10 (formerly exit 2) – Lee. At the light at the end of the ramp turn left onto Route 20 East and then immediately turn right onto Route 102 West. Follow Route 102 West into Stockbridge Center (about five miles). Continue going west on Route 102 (Main St.). Shortly after going through town, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

from Albany and west: (one hour) Take I-90 east to exit B3 – Route 22. Go south on New York Route 22 to Massachusetts Route 102 East. Stay on Route 102 East through West Stockbridge. Continue on Route 102 East approximately 5.5 miles until you come to a blinking light at the intersection of Route 183. Make a right at the blinking light onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

(two-and-a-half hours) Take either the New York State Thruway or the Taconic State Parkway to I-90 East. Follow I-90 East to exit B3 – Route 22. Go south on New York Route 22 to Massachusetts Route 102 East. Stay on Route 102 East through West Stockbridge. Continue on Route 102 East approximately 5.5 miles until you come to a blinking light at the intersection of Route 183. Make a right at the blinking light onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

(one-and-a-half hours) Take I-91 North to the Massachusetts Turnpike. Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) West, getting off at exit 10 (formerly exit 2) – Lee. At the light at the end of the ramp turn left onto Route 20 East and then immediately turn right onto Route 102 West. Follow Route 102 West into Stockbridge Center (about five miles). Continue going west on Route 102 (Main St.). Shortly after going through town, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.

(five minutes)
Go west on Route 102 (Main St.). Shortly after going through town, you will veer to the right to stay on Route 102 West for approximately 1.8 miles. At the flashing light, make a left onto Route 183 South and the Museum entrance is 0.6 miles down on the left.