Statue of Liberty by Norman Rockwell

July 6, 1946 Issue of The Saturday Evening Post

Statue of Liberty, a Norman Rockwell painting, appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post published July 6, 1946. This is another favorite of Rockwell collectors, a classic enduring image of the world Rockwell painted.

An alternate title for this painting is Working on the Statue of Liberty.

This painting was Rockwell's 239th overall out of 322 total paintings that were published on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. Rockwell's career with the Post spanned 47 years, from his first cover illustration, Boy With Baby Carriage in 1916 to his last, Portrait of John F. Kennedy, in 1963.

This was also the third cover for The Post in 1946. In 1946, there were seven Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post covers published.

The original oil on canvas painting, 24 x 14 inches or 61 x 35.5 cm, was once owned by Director Steven Spielberg. Spielberg donated the work to the official White House Collection in 1994. It has been on display in the Oval office throughout the terms of Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.

This painting also appears in four Rockwell commentary books. It appears:

• on pages 327 and 356 of Norman Rockwell 332 Magazine Covers by Christopher Finch
• as illustration 286 of Norman Rockwell's America by Christopher Finch
• as illustration 423 of Norman Rockwell: Artist and Illustrator by Thomas Buechner and
• on page 168 of Norman Rockwell, A Definitive Catalogue by Laurie Norton Moffatt.

One study also appears in the Norman Rockwell Catalogue on page 168.

Pristine original copies of this magazine cover routinely sell for big bucks on eBay, when it is offered. And to think it only cost ten cents originally! And it was mint condition then, too.

Statue of Liberty

Always topical with his paintings, Norman Rockwell did not miss the oppurtunity to paint workmen on the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty was designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886.

The robed female figure of the statue represents Libertas, who is the Roman goddess of freedom. She holds aloft a torch in one hand and a tabula ansata in the other arm The tablet has inscribed upon it the date of the American Declaration of Independence. A broken chain lies at her feet.

The workmen in the painting reveal the scale of the statue, which is just over 150 feet tall. The bird flying also hints at the dangerous height that these workers have scaled.

The actual height off the gound of the work being done is well over 300 feet. I hope none of these fellow are afraid of heights.

The Statue has been repeatedly worked on, renovated, strengthened and shored up throughout its life on Liberty Island.

The work being done in this painting is cleaning the torch. The torch is made of heavy amber glass.

In July, the task of cleaning the glass on torch is scheduled. Lady Liberty's light must shine and brightly.

Norman Rockwell's Statue of Liberty (1946)
(Image Only) Copyright © 1946 Saturday Evening Post & Curtis Publishing Company