Norman Rockwell Biography

The Early Years: 1894 through 1921

In 1903, Mr. and Mrs. Rockwell, along wth young Norman and his older brother Jarvis, moved from the city to Mamaroneck, New York. Even at a young age, Rockwell showed aptitude and interest in art and illustration. One of his earliest recollections was drawing Charles Dickens characters while his father read Dickens stories to him.

In 1909, at the age of 15, Norman Rockwell left Mamaroneck High School to attend the National Academy of Design in New York City. Shortly thereafter, he entered the Art Students League, attending classes taught by George Bridgeman and Thomas Fogarty.

Norman Rockwell was such a hard worker, even at age 15, that his fellow students referred to him as "the Deacon."

In 1912, Rockwell's first published works appeared in C.H. Claudy's Tell-Me-Why Stories About Mother Nature and, later, Gabrielle Jackson's Maid of Middies' Haven.

In 1913, Norman Rockwell received his first major position: art editor of Boys' Life magazine. Boys' Life published several of his earliest illustrations on its cover in 1913. As art editor, he also published many of his own works on the inside pages of Boys' Life to illustrate articles. His work also appeared in other children's publications, such as St. Nicholas.

Rockwell's first magazine cover illustration, Scout at Ship's Wheel, appeared on the cover of the September 1913 edition of Boys' Life. He illustrated eight of the next nine editions and added two more in 1915, for a total of twelve cover illustrations in just under two years. He retained this consistent work ethic throughout his career.

Boy With Baby Carriage Rockwell's First Post Cover from 1916

In 1915, Rockwell moved to New Rochelle, New York, and established his own studio along with studio mate, Clyde Forsythe.

In 1916, one of the major milestones in Rockwell's career occurs: his first Saturday Evening Post cover, Boy with Baby Carriage was published on May 20, 1916. Just two weeks later, Norman Rockwell's second Post cover, Circus Barker and Strongman, was published.

Incredibly, these were the first of 321 different covers over a forty-seven year span with the most prominent publication of its time.

Read more about The Saturday Evening Post and Norman Rockwell.

Rockwell's work was later published in several other major publications of the era including Life (1917), The Country Gentleman (1917) and The Literary Digest (1918). This development was largely due to his increased exposure and appreciation on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post.

After the beginnings of success embodied by being published by The Post, he asked his sweetheart, Irene O'Connor, to marry him. At first, she refused, but later she accepted. (In 1921, he painted Irene on a Literary Digest cover, Mother Tucking Children Into Bed (or Mother's Little Angels).

Norman and Irene's union produced no children.

A life as big and full as Rockwell's can't be told on only one page.

Norman Rockwell Biography, page one (1894-1917)...

Norman Rockwell Biography, page two (1918-1936)...

Norman Rockwell Biography, page three (1938-1953)...

Norman Rocwell Biography, page four (1953-1978)...