Poster Collection: Norman P. Rockwell

Posters of different sizes and for different subjects have also been a popular pastime for many enthusiasts. Those enamored with films go for the very catchy, colorful, and artful movie posters that are seen in movie theatres and malls and which surely easily draw the captive attention of the onlookers. While others more into hero adulation may go for sports posters whether of racing cars and their drivers, professional sportsmen, etc. In short, there are posters and posters for most popular fancies and passions.
As for me, I was fortunate enough to have acquired over time a precious number of them (about 76) all about one subject, poster prints of the the paintings/illustrations of the late artist, Norman P. Rockwell, a very popular symbol of things Americana.

Mention Saturday Evening Post and invariably the name of Rockwell comes up, because for 47 years Rockwell provided the original covers of the weekly magazine for a total of 321. But for the prolific artist/illustrator who lived from 1894 to 1978 his body of work totals over 4000. Thus creating a very fertile and interesting trove for any enthusiastic collector.

The posters in my collection have the following dimensions: 17” x 22” and were published by Clement Communications, Inc. from Concordville, PA 19331 under its Masterpiece Program. Many items in the collection were original covers of the Saturday Evening Post.

A gallery of Rockwell works can be viewed here. Though the Web is littered with images of the works of Rockwell.
A quote from the Wikipedia entry for Saturday Evening Post:

In March 1916 Lorimer agreed to meet Norman Rockwell, a 22 year old artist from New York. He immediately accepted two front covers he had produced and commissioned three more. Rockwell did covers and illustrations for the magazine through 1963, and gained his public fame by these works; several of these are among his critically best-acclaimed works.

Though many modern-day critics would discount Rockwell’s work as serious art, still his work represented typical slices of Americana, however idealistically or sentimentalized they may have been portrayed. Thus his many works are very easily recognizable not only because he signed all of them with his characteristic signatures, but more importantly because of the characteristically unique or Rockwellesque ways his many subjects are painted or illustrated. Opting one critic to exclaim that Rockwell was a twin of Salvador Dali separated from birth or kidnapped by gypsies.

Personally, I could say there are similarities, especially in the area of exaggerated imaging, but the attention to minute detail in Rockwell’s paintings are such that one cannot help but admire them.

An Uncommon Find

Rummaging through some stored boxes which came from the previous residence, I chanced upon this rather uncommon find, which at first glance looked nothing more than a pendant made of silver.

Upon closer scrutiny, we find that it is the remains of what used to be a Liberty Walking Half-Dollar (minted circa 1916-1947).

While the edges of the coin have not been touched, what remains on the obverse side are Lady Liberty’s image, the sun, plus the word, Liberty, and the word Love holed out at the bottom where the date would have been. The rest of the coin must have been chipped away, sacrificing what appeared on the reverse side.

When asked, the wife had no idea how it got there.

On defacing of coins, here is what the US Code has to say:

This next statute concerns the defacing of currently circulated coins, either foreign or domestic:

United States Code
TITLE 18
PART I
CHAPTER 17

§ 331. Mutilation, diminution, and falsification of coins

“Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes,falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; or whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered,defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled, or lightened— Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than
five years, or both.”

Comment:
(Like the statute I previously discussed, prior to 1994 when this law was amended, the statute read “fined not more than $2,000”. This was changed in 1994 to read “shall be fined under this title” which effectively gives the court the authority to impose a fine at its discretion. Of course the imprisonment terms mentioned in the statute speaks for itself.)

Old Olympic Games Postcards

Because the Olympic Games to be held in Beijing, China, are gearing up just around the corner, it is about time to start thinking things about the games.

The games have had a long history, stretching from ancient to modern times, the last one held less than two years ago in 2006. Starting in 1992, the games were divided into the Summer and the Winter Olympics, though still held every four years but scheduled in such a way that every two years, we have a version of the games. Thus, the last Summer Olympics was held in Athens in 2004 and the last Winter Olympics in 2006 in Turin.

In the 80’s to commemorate the games the International Olympic Committee based in Lausanne, Switzerland, begun printing postcards which showed miniaturized versions of the official posters of the different games. Now the IOC was formally established in 1894 and had is first Summer Olympics in 1896.

The postcards pictured below were collected over time and are by no means complete, showing only 1908 as the earliest and 1980 as the latest.

Hobbyists can then aim to collect the entire set of postcards beginning in 1896 to 2006, and hopefully to including that of 2008.

They most probably will be available at the Beijing Olympics. So everybody interested and planning to attend the games be sure to look for them.