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.