Fantastical Rockwell

February 4 through June 5, 2022

A perceptive observer, Norman Rockwell was a persuasive visual commentator whose realist paintings for popular periodicals inspired belief by millions in the innate goodness of humanity and the achievability of the American dream.  Rockwell also inspired our love of fantasy in ways  that he may not have fully perceived.  His carefully constructed artworks for the Saturday Evening Post and other magazines, and for scores of twentieth century advertisers and products, at the work of a consummate mythmaker who understood his audience’s deepest desires and spoke to them from the heart.

I thought you were wrong,' he said in triumph. 1914

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
“‘I thought you were wrong,’ he said in triumph.“ 1914
Story illustration for “The Magic Foot-ball: A Fairy Tale of To-day,” by Ralph Henry Barbour, St. Nicholas magazine, December, 1914
Oil on canvas
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Norman Rockwell Art Collection Trust, NRACT.1973.076

From 1914 to 1920, Norman Rockwell accepted numerous assignments from St. Nicholas, a magazine for children. His first commission was to provide a series of five illustrations for “The Magic Foot-ball: A Fairy Tale of To-day” by Ralph Henry Barbour. A popular author of the early twentieth century, Barbour (1870–1944) wrote moralizing stories about the relationship between boys and sports, using coaches and athletes to deliver principled messages. “The Magic Foot-ball” told the tale of thirteen-year-old Billy Piper, whose less-than-stellar football skills are abetted by a magical fairy.

Art critic Peter Schjeldahl once noted that Rockwell’s “precisely observed facts squared with deeply serious hopes” constituted “as accurate a graph as we have of what being American – a fictive condition, always,” could feel like.

As seen in this exhibit, Rockwell’s flight of fantasy were prominent within his body of work throughout his career.  Fantastical elements are revealed in Rockwell’s portrayals of fairy tale and fictional characters in artworks like The Magic Foot-ball (1914), and Saturday People (1966).  They also appear in images grounded in real-world scenarios like Cobbler Studying a Doll’s Shoe (1921), Mermaid (1955), and Just Married (1957), which inspire our own imaginings today, as they did in their time.

Fantastical Rockwell Gallery

Image Caption

Fantastical Rockwell Gallery – on through June 5, 2022.

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Mermaid, 1955
Cover study for the Saturday Evening Post, August 20, 1955
Wolff Pencil and charcoal on paper
Private Collection

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
The Gossips, 1948
Cover study for the Saturday Evening Post, March 6, 1948
Pencil and charcoal on paper
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Norman Rockwell Art Collection Trust, NRACT.1973.011

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Art Critic, 1955
Cover study for the Saturday Evening Post, April 16, 1955
Charcoal on board
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Norman Rockwell Art Collection Trust, NRACT.1973.003e

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

Boy and Girl Gazing at Moon (Puppy Love)

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Boy and Girl Gazing at Moon (Puppy Love), 1926
Cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, April 24, 1926
Oil on canvas.
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Given by Bill, Casey, Maggie, Jennie and Jesse Millis in honor of Norman Rockwell, an incredible American, NRM.2015.04

Life’s simple pleasures and the blush of first love are the focus of Norman Rockwell’s 1926 Saturday Evening Post cover, which portrays a young couple entranced by the moon, and by each other’s company. Their rickety wooden seating bends under their weight but does not deter them from their reverie, for they are taking time to enjoy the moment.

In 1926, Rockwell had already been working for the Post for ten years. A self-proclaimed specialist in painting child-centered scenes, he elevated the status of his youthful subjects by portraying them as complex individuals. In this work, Rockwell recalls the pleasures of spending vacations on rural farms on Long Island and in upstate New York, a respite from the bustle of life in New York City, where he was born and spent his youth. His composition invites us to peer over the shoulders of the children who are not aware of our presence. Their simple fishing gear—a branch equipped with line and a blue and orange bobbin (which repeats the artist’s color palette)—has been placed down behind them. Enrapt as they are, they are not aware that their bait is escaping from the can, or that the dog, now a third wheel, gazes longingly out from the canvas.

Saturday People

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
The Saturday People, 1966.
Illustration for “The Saturday People” by Rita Madocs,
McCalls, October 1966.
Oil on canvas
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Norman Rockwell art Collection Trust, NRACT.1973.088

The Art Critic

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Art Critic, Norman Rockwell. 1955
Oil on canvas, 39 ½ x 36 ¼”
Cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, April 16, 1955
From the permanent collection of Norman Rockwell Museum
©1955 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Licensing, Indianapolis, IN

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Mermaid, 1955
Cover study for the Saturday Evening Post, August 20, 1955
Wolff Pencil and charcoal on paper
Private Collection

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Book of Romance, 1927
Oil on canvas
Illustration for Ladies’ Home Journal, July 1927
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.1985.03

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Art Critic, 1955
Cover illustration for the Saturday Evening Post, April 16, 1955
Tearsheet
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Gift of John A. and Laura C. Savio, RC.2007.1.281

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Art Critic, 1955
Cover studies for the Saturday Evening Post, April 16, 1955
Oil on acetate board
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Norman Rockwell Art Collection Trust, NRACT.1973.003c

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Art Critic, 1955
Cover illustration for the Saturday Evening Post, April 16, 1955
Oil on canvas
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.1998.04

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Art Critic, 1955
Cover study for the Saturday Evening Post, April 16, 1955
Pencil and charcoal on paper
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Norman Rockwell Art Collection Trust, NRACT.1973.003a

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Art Critic, 1955
Cover study for the Saturday Evening Post, April 16, 1955
Charcoal and pen on board
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Norman Rockwell Art Collection Trust, NRACT.1973.003b

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Art Critic, 1955
Cover study for the Saturday Evening Post, April 16, 1955
Charcoal on paper
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.1994.02

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Art Critic, 1955
Cover study for the Saturday Evening Post, April 16, 1955
Pencil on paper
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Norman Rockwell Art Collection Trust, NRACT.1973.003d

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
The Stay at Homes (Outward Bound), 1927
Illustration for Ladies’ Home Journal, October 1927
Oil on canvas
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Norman Rockwell Art Collection Trust, NRACT.1973.082

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Tom Sawyer Whitewashing the Fence, 1936
Story illustration for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (Norwalk, CT: The Heritage Press, 1936)
Pencil and charcoal on paper
Private Collection

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Aunt Polly Giving Tom Sawyer Medicine, 1936
Story illustration for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (Norwalk, CT: The Heritage Press, 1936)
Pencil and charcoal on paper
Private Collection

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Tom Sawyer Sneaking out Window, 1936
Story illustration for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (Norwalk, CT: The Heritage Press, 1936)
Pencil and charcoal on paper
Private Collection
Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Tom & Becky in Cave, 1936
Story illustration for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (Norwalk, CT: The Heritage Press, 1936)
Pencil and charcoal on paper
Private Collection

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Land of Enchantment (Long John Silver), 1934
Pencil on paper
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection by purchase, Judy and Allen Goffman Fine Arts, NRM.1979.06

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)
Land of Enchantment (Robin Hood), 1934
Pencil on paper
Norman Rockwell Museum Collection by purchase, Judy and Allen Goffman Fine Arts, NRM.1979.05

RELATED EVENTS

View Calendar

MEDIA

Peter Rockwell on Norman Rockwell’s The Art Critic

Recorded: 1993

Peter Rockwell on Norman Rockwell’s The Art Critic (part 2)

Recorded: 1993

VENUE(S)

Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA    February 4 through June 5, 2022

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.