You Can Trust Me, Dad by Norman Rockwell

August 9, 1917 Issue of Life Magazine

An alternate title for this picture is World War I Soldier with Father.

This was the second cover by Rockwell to appear on Life Magazine. A Rockwell illustration appeared on the Life magazine cover four times in 1917.

Life magazine use Rockwell's talents often. Twenty-eight Rockwell covers were published between 1917 and 1924. Life magazine is one of the "Big Five" magazines for collectors who collect magazine covers. The "Big Five", in order of importance, are The Saturday Evening Post, Boys' Life, The Literary Digest, The Country Gentleman and Life magazine.

You Can Trust Me, Dad

This painting is the first of many featuring the same theme. Rockwell was a master at finding the pulse of public consciousness and painting pictures that illustrated that pulse.

In 1917, America was just entering the "Great War," World War I. There had been recent wars, but none on as grand a scale as this one.

Life magazine was a general interest magazine, concentrating on entertainment, illustrations, jokes, and social commentary. Like Rockwell, Life wanted its subject matter to be topical and current.

This painting shows us a soldier son saying good-bye to his former soldier father. We do not know if the pair are part of a send-off parade for the departing soldiers or not. The father being dressed in his old uniform implies some sort of celebration or ceremony of that sort.

This illustration is as full of contrasts as it is of history. New brown uniform and old blue uniform. Young man leaving for war seeking his future and old man watching his son and future leaving for war. Hope and knowledge.

Here Rockwell gives us a peek back in history. The lesson we can learn from this picture and, indeed, all of history's lessons is that no war will end all wars. Just as no hate can end hate, no violence can end violence, etc...
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