Portrait of John F. Kennedy, 1960 Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) Oil on canvas In 1960, Norman Rockwell was commissioned by The Saturday Evening Post to paint portraits of Presidential candidates Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon. Kennedy appeared on the October 29 cover and Nixon on the November 5 cover. To prepare for the painting of Kennedy, Rockwell arranged to pose and photograph Kennedy at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. When Rockwell arrived, Kennedy, in his pajamas, leaned out of an upstairs window and told Rockwell to go right in, and that he'd be down in a minute. While Kennedy ate his breakfast, Rockwell chose a room for the session. Rockwell suggested it would be best to use a dignified pose that didn't emphasize Kennedy's youth (he was just forty-three); Kennedy agreed. After photos were taken, the two men walked to the breakwater to see Kennedy's sailboat. Now more relaxed, and feeling he had been a little stiff during the photo session, Kennedy suggested they return to the house for a second shoot. Rockwell was pleased with the result: "His expression was just what I wanted-serious with a certain dignity, but relaxed and pleasant, not hard." Rockwell's modeling session with Nixon was even briefer, squeezing the photo shoot into a forty-five-minute Senate recess.
Painting for The Saturday Evening Post cover, October 29, 1960 16 x 12 inches Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.1978.01 ©1960 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN.