A Rockwell Thanksgiving

Throughout his brilliant career, Rockwell illustrated 323 covers of The Saturday Evening Post during a nearly five-decade relationship with the magazine. With its traditional Thanksgiving setting, “Freedom from Want”  is one of Rockwell’s “Four Freedom” illustrations that ran in successive issues of The Post in 1943. Using his own Arlington, Vt., neighbors as subjects, the warm, folksy work is widely heralded as one of Rockwell’s most recognizable paintings.

Freedom from Want – Norman Rockwell

Rockwell’s “Home for Thanksgiving” first appeared on the cover of The Post on Nov. 24, 1945. “Rockwell’s initial intention for the Thanksgiving cover of 1945 consisted of a large group of prayerful people giving thanks,” according to the Norman Rockwell Museum website. “With the end of war already in sight, art editor Ken Stuart advised Rockwell to work on a picture of a returned soldier. The gist of Rockwell’s picture is that the soldier is glad to do at home what he hated doing in the Army.” The mother and son in the painting were, in fact, mother and son: Sarah Hagelberg and her boy, Richard, owner of a dairy farm in Arlington. Not only was Richard a WWII veteran, but he also served as Rockwell’s milkman. The original illustration sold for $4.3 million at Heritage Auctions.

Home for Thanksgiving – Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell at his easel.

Norman Rockwell Print of Abraham Lincoln

Q: I found this Norman Rockwell print in a trash bin outside a building that was being renovated about six years ago. It’s framed and is 22 inches high and 8 inches wide. Someone told me it’s called “Lincoln for the Defense.” Any information you can give me would be appreciated.  A: Norman Rockwell (1894–1978) […]

Goebel Norman Rockwell Figurine

Q: I bought this Norman Rockwell figurine about 40 years ago. It’s marked with a bee over the letter “V” and “W. Goebel, W. Germany.” It was listed in a book of plates and figurines at that time for a value of $400. I know prices of old items have dropped quite a bit. Can you let me know how much this figurine is worth today?

 

A: This figurine, called “Sitting Boy with Pipe,” is part of a series of figurines made by Goebel based on Norman Rockwell paintings that were used on Saturday Evening Post magazine covers. This figurine was designed by Gerhard Bochmann in 1962. The Goebel “three line mark” was used from 1964 to 1972, but this figurine was only made in the 1960s. Norman Rockwell figurines by Goebel sell for under $100.