Norman Rockwell Magazine Covers
Complete List - Part Six: 1940 to 1980
Norman Rockwell's
artwork, including his many magazine
cover illustrations, were crucial to becoming America's favorite
illustrator.
His paintings from this period also showcase his
talent honed by years of experience. As told in
Norman Rockwell, My Adventures As An Illustrator, brainstorming and executing cover after
cover was no mean feat. Rockwell sometimes agonized and deliberated for
months over a cover idea before finally getting it settled in his mind.
This partly explains what would otherwise be a
mystery. In Norman Rockwell, A Definitive Catalogue by Laurie Norton Moffatt, there are often 4 or 5 different
versions of some paintings. Some of them are completely finished while
some are only finished in varying degrees.
Norman Rockwell Magazine Covers 1940 - 1950
Within this section of the list of Norman
Rockwell magazine covers, Rockwell covers a wide range of topics.
Rockwell focuses on the human side of World War
II for the first half of this decade, the 1940's. He concentrated, as
he always did, on Americans, at home, at work, and at play.
During this time period, Norman Rockwell magazine
covers featuring Private Willie Gillis appeared on The
Saturday Evening Post eleven times. Rockwell's model, Robert Otis
Buck, eventually enlisted in the Navy. Since his model was no longer
available, Rockwell had to rely on his memory and photographs. The
public was still clamoring for more Willie Gillis!
Some of the Willie Gillis covers only showed
Willie in a photograph on the wall. Rockwell had to stretch his
creative muscles to include Willie in some of those covers. The last
Willie Gillis painting Willie Gillis Goes To College appeared
in 1946.
If you should notice any errors or omissions in
the list of Norman Rockwell magazine covers, please let me know.
Also, if you know the name of any unnamed work or
have scans of works that I don't show, please, please let me know.
Norman Rockwell
Magazine Covers 1940 - 1980
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
Norman Rockwell Magazine Covers 1951 - 1963
This period of Norman Rockwell magazine covers featured the
end of his The Saturday
Evening Post cover career. After the Kennedy Memorial cover on
December 16, 1963, the only work Rockwell painted for The Post was one
magazine article illustration in 1967.
Rockwell's cover work during this time featured
several portraits of famous Americans: Bob Hope, Jack Benny, President
Dwight Eisenhower, future President Richard Nixon, and soon-to-be
President John Kennedy.
As always, Rockwell continued to paint his vision
of America through its people throughout his career.
1951
- February - Boy's Life - Forward America
- May - Parents - Portrait of Mrs. O'Neil and Children
- June 2 - The Saturday Evening Post - Two
Plumbers
- July 14 - The Saturday Evening Post - Facts
of Life
- November 24 - The Saturday Evening Post - Saying
Grace
1952
1953
- January 3 - The Saturday Evening Post - Baker Reading Diet Book
- February - Boy's Life - On My Honor
- April 4 - The Saturday Evening Post - Walking
to Church
- May 23 - The Saturday Evening Post - Girl
with Black Eye
- July - Ford Times - Portrait of Henry Ford, Edsel Ford
& Henry Ford II
- August 22 - The Saturday Evening Post - Soda
Jerk
- October - Scouting - It's Red Feather Time
- December - Child's Life - Need information on this one
1954
1955
- January 1 - TV Guide - Arthur Godfrey
- February - Boy's Life - The Right Way
- March 12 - The Saturday Evening Post - Collection of Covers
- April 16 - The Saturday Evening Post - Art
Critic
- June 11 - The Saturday Evening Post - The Marriage License
- August 20 - The Saturday Evening Post - Mermaid
- December - Child's Life - Santa Looking at Two Sleeping
Children
1956
1957
1958
1959
- February - Boy's Life - Tomorrow's Leaders
- February 14 - The Saturday Evening Post - The Jury
- May 16 - The Saturday Evening Post - Easter
Morning
- June 6 - The Saturday Evening Post - Boy
Graduate
- October 24 - The Saturday Evening Post - Family
Tree
1960
1961
- February - Boy's Life - Homecoming
- April 1 - The Saturday Evening Post - Golden
Rule
- September 16 - The Saturday Evening Post - Lubalin
Redesigning the Post
- November 25 - The Saturday Evening Post - The
Cheerleader
- December - The Rotarian - Christmas Dance
1962
1963
Norman Rockwell Magazine Covers 1964 - 1980
After his long association with The Post ended in
1963, Rockwell continued to produce memorable magazine covers.
His career-long association with Boy Scouts
continued with his almost unbroken string of Boys' Life covers.
Checking the list will show that Rockwell produced a Boys' Life cover
almost every year from the start of his career in 1913 until 1965.
1964
- February - Boy's Life - To Keep Myself Physically Strong
- September - American Artist - Portrait of a Russian
with a Black Hat
- December - McCalls - Little Girl Looking Downstairs at
Christmas Party
1965
- February - Boy's Life - A Great Moment
- December - Child's Life - Need information on this one
1966
- June 14 - Look - John F. Kennedy and the Peace Corps
1967
- May - Ramparts - Portrait of Bertrand Russell
- December - Family Circle - Space Age Santa
1968
- December - Family Circle - Santa Eating Milk and Cookies
1970
1971
- October - Arabian Horse News - Horsetrader (Of Course,
It's an Arabian - He's Grey, Isn't He?)
1972
- January-February - Ford Life - Portrait of Henry Ford,
Edsel Ford and Henry Ford II
1973
- Vol II, No. 4 - Persimmon Hill - Portrait of Walter
Brennan
1974
- October - Disabled American Veterans - The American Way
(Soldier Feeding Girl) (See it here
-link provided by Luc from the Netherlands).
1975
- March - Disabled American Veterans - So Much Concern
(Boy Scouts Planting Tree) (See it here
-link provided by Luc from the Netherlands).
1976
- July - American Artist - Liberty Bell (Celebration)
1978
- July - American Legion - Over There
1980
- March/April - Design Arts & Education - Need
information on this one
Remember to check back often.
Do you have a personal story about this painting? Do you know the model personally? Do you have a different take on the commentary?
Please share!
