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| 2. [1949] Group photo of Famous Artists School Faculty. Left to right: Harold von Schmidt, John Atherton, Al Parker, founder Al Dorne (white shirt, on the ground), Norman Rockwell (with painting created for Cecil B. DeMille’s 1949 film, Samson and Delilah), Ben Stahl, Peter Helck, Stevan Dohanos, Jon Whitcomb, Austin Briggs (rear, far right), and Robert Fawcett (front, far right). ©Norman Rockwell Museum Archives, gift of Famous Artists School. All rights reserved. |
The Norman Rockwell Museum, founded forty-five years ago, has just
announced a significant expansion of their collections, some of which are
printed here. The Museum’s collection consists of works by
practicing illustrators active from the time of the American Civil War to the
present. Quoting the Norman Rockwell Museum’s press release
Famous Artists School/Cortina Learning International owners, Magdalen and
Robert Livesey have donated the entire Archive of the Famous Artists School to
Norman Rockwell Museum. The collection consists of more than 5000 original
artworks by the program’s founding illustrators.
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| 3. Norman Rockwell (second from right) with fellow illustrators/instructors at the Famous Artists School. Norman Rockwell Museum Collections. Courtesy of Cortina Learning International/Famous Artists School. ©Norman Rockwell Family Agency. All rights reserved. |
Highlights among the collection include original studies, drawings, and
paintings by the original “famous illustrators,” as well as drawings and
cartoons by such popular cartoonists as Al Capp, Milton Caniff, Rube Goldberg.
Harry Haenigsen, Willard Mullin, Gurney Williams, Dick Cavalli, Whitney Darrow,
Jr., Virgil Partch, and Barney Tobey.
Among these treasures are several original works by Norman Rockwell,
created for the artist’s own instructional course.
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| 4. Norman Rockwell at the Famous Artists School. Norman Rockwell Museum Collections. Courtesy of Cortina Learning International/Famous Artists School. ©Norman Rockwell Family Agency. All rights reserved. |
The Famous Artists School Archive contains a rich body of materials – from
candid archival photographs and promotional and instructional films to complete
courses in illustration and cartooning. The archive joins the Norman Rockwell
Archive, the most comprehensive collection of the artist’s papers, reference
photographs, business correspondence and ephemera, frequently sought by scholars
and accessible online.
It is remarkable that this exceptional and historic collection was saved
from complete loss. Sitting in a Connecticut warehouse, threatened by water
damage, and once rescued from a warehouse fire, this generous gift from
Magdalen and Robert Livesey of Cortina Learning International will enable the
Museum to preserve and digitize the material, and make the collection
publically accessible for the first time. An exhibition highlighting the Famous
Artists School also is being planned.
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| 5. ‘First Signs of Spring,’ by Norman Rockwell, 1947. Oil on canvas, 22″ x 17″. Cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, March 22, 1947. Norman Rockwell Museum Collections, gift of Ginny Severinghaus in memory of Nelson “Ben” Severinghaus. ©SEPS: Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN. |
As if that were not enough
Recent donations of original illustration art include a rare series of theater sketches by
James Montgomery Flagg (1877-1960) from portrait artist Everett Raymond
Kinstler; an original work by Rockwell’s friend and fellow illustrator, Mead
Schaeffer (1898-1980), courtesy of his daughter Lee Schaeffer Goodfellow and
her spouse Robert Adams Goodfellow; paintings by Austin Briggs (1908-73) and
Edwin Georgi (1896-1964), courtesy of their model Loretta Knight; original
works by illustrators Will Crawford 1869-1944), Fortunino Matania (1881-1963),
Henry Pitz (1895-1976) and Albert Sterner (1863-1946), from The Kelly
Collection of American Illustration; an original work by Howard Pyle
(1853-1911) from Norman Rockwell Museum President Emerita Lila W. Berle; and an
exceptional collection of 96 editorial and advertising illustrations by Fred
Eng (1917-95) from the Eng Family.
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| 6. ‘Girl with Picnic Basket Going Swimming,’ by Norman Rockwell, 1929. Oil on canvas. Cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, June 15, 1929. Norman Rockwell Museum Collections, gift from Jeanie Kull Low and John T.C. Low. |
Donations also include works on paper by C. Clyde Squires (1883-1970),
Arthur William Brown (1881-1996), H.M. Stoops (1888-1948), and Thornton Oakley
(1881-1953), and paintings by Tom Lovell (1909-97) and Henry William Reusswig
(1902-78) from Norman Rockwell Museum President Robert T. Horvath, who has
intended his entire collection of illustration art for the Norman Rockwell
Museum; original drawings by Thomas Fogarty (1873-1938), donated by the
artist’s grandson, Thomas Fogarty, and by trustee Alice Carter and her mother
Jane Eisenstadt; an oil on canvas painting by illustrator Bernie Fuchs
(1932-2009), courtesy of Ellis and Anna Lee Fuchs; paintings by Henry Guy
Fangel (19th/20th century) and William Sherman Potts (1876-1930)
courtesy of Tim J. and Michelle Y. Smith/Shhboom Gallery; a 1941 watercolor and
gouache painting for The Saturday Evening Post by John F. Gould (1906-96),
courtesy of Robert Gould and the Gould Family; four original works created by
Rockwell model and fellow artist Fred Hildebrandt, including 1938 portraits of
Norman Rockwell sons Thomas and Peter Rockwell; and the 1928 painting, ‘No
Fishing,’ created for the November 14, 1928 cover of Collier’s magazine,
featuring Norman Rockwell as model, donated by Hildebrandt’s daughter,
Alexandra Hildebrandt Hoy.
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| 7. ‘Fishing Trip, They’ll Be Coming Back Next Week,’ by Norman Rockwell. 1919. Oil on canvas, 29" x 29". Cover illustration for The Country Gentleman, April 26, 1919. Norman Rockwell Museum Collections, gift of The Rodger P. Nordblom family. |
Archival Donations
Archival donations to Norman Rockwell Museum includes several rare
collections, including a complete set of J.C. Leyendecker’s 321 Saturday
Evening Post covers and other magazine ephemera donated by Norman Rockwell
Museum Trustee, William Hargreaves; a beautifully preserved collection of
illustrated World War I posters provided by Norman Rockwell Museum Chairman
Emeritus Thomas L. Pulling and Edward Pulling, grandson and great-grandson of
the Honorable R.C. Leffingwell, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and head of
the War Loan Organization; a rare collection of approximately 150 illustrated
books featuring artwork by Howard Pyle and other illustrators courtesy of
Museum President Robert T. Horvath; and a complete, pristine collection of 323
Post magazines featuring Norman Rockwell’s cover illustrations from John and
Laura Savio, members of the Museum’s National Council. Museum Trustee Murray
Tinkelman has donated an extensive collection of original photographs featuring
noted twentieth century illustrators.
Also, illustrator Elwood Smith has donated an exceptional library
collection including approximately 145 volumes focused on the art of
illustration and cartooning. Keith Emerling photographs and photographic
negatives of Jarvis Rockwell’s artwork are made available by the artist, who is
Norman Rockwell’s oldest son. A large matted, black and white photo of Norman
Rockwell painting in his studio by Don Spaulding has been provided by the
artist, who was Rockwell’s student, and black and white reference photo of
Maureen Riley Kane posing with Norman Rockwell’s painting ‘The Soda Jerk’ comes
to us courtesy of Ms. Kane. A Gerlach Barklow calendar glass negative set has
been donated by Tim and Michelle Smith, and 15 vintage Al McWilliams comic
books have been provided by Richard and Cindy McWilliams.
The Museum is continuing to accept donations of Norman Rockwell art and
important works of American illustration and related archival materials.
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8. ‘The Catch,’ by Norman Rockwell, 1919. Oil on canvas, 29" x 29". Cover illustration for The Country Gentleman, May 3, 1919. Norman Rockwell Museum Collections, gift of The Rodger P. Nordblom family.
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