The Discovery, 1956 Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) Oil on canvas Intending it to be used as a September or October cover, Rockwell sent this painting of a small boy discovering a Santa suit in the bottom drawer of his father's dresser to The Saturday Evening Post in July. Instead the Post ran the image as the December 29 cover. Though the obvious interpretation of the painting is the boy's discovery that Santa does not exist, the Post in its contents section provided an alternate explanation (one that ignored the presence of mothballs): Santa had left his clothes to be sent to the cleaners.
In The Discovery, Rockwell makes use of doorkijkje, a device favored by seventeenth-century Dutch artists, which literally means a "look through." An open door through which a distant view can be seen creates another picture plane, which adds depth. This is one of very few images set in a room in Rockwell's own home. The bureau and pipe were Rockwell's as well, but the Santa suit was not. Painting for The Saturday Evening Post cover, December 29, 1956 35.25 x 32.5 inches Norman Rockwell Art Collection Trust, NRACT.1973.5 ©1956 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN