A Magazine and Its Covers Rockwell Paints the Candidates Drawing on Location: the Outdoor Experience Stewardship of the Norman Rockwell Legacy 2
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PROPERTY OF TH F NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSE I JM REFERENCE CENTE R The Port olio The Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge Sumlner 1996 A Magazine and Its Covers Rockwell Paints the Candidates Drawing on Location: The Outdoor Experience Stewardship of the Norman Rockwell Legacy 2 The Illustrators Hall ofFame The Society of Illustrators Hall afFame opening was a well attended event. Here are scenes from the opening program and members reception. Above, Murray Tinkelman (left), illustrator and co-chairman of the society's Permanent Coll ection Committee, takes museum members on a tour of the exhibition. Vincent DiFate (right), President of the Society of Illustrators, awaits hi s turn to speak. Above right, museum members and friends listen in rapt attention to the Society of The Norman Rockwell Museum Illustrators speakers. Board of Trustees Da vid L. Klausmcycr Pres id ent Bobbi e Crosby First Vice- Pres ident Palricia Deely Second Vi ce-President Steven Spi elberg Third Vice-Presid ent Perri Pctricca Treasurer T homas P,mi C lerk J ohn T. Batty 111 Brian J. Q uinn One of the guest speakers was Terrence Lila ' N. Berle j ea n Rousseau Brown, Director of the Society of Rosell e Kline C hartock Lincoln Ru ssell Illustrators. He is photographed here Daniel DuBois Joseph M. Sa lvadore with his wife Cathy (left) and guest. j oan SerVaas Durham Ronald Staffieri j ane P. Fi t7.patrick Aso O. Tavitian Well known photographer Lucien Aigner, Paul "V. Ivory Douglas Trumbull usua lly found on the other side of the lens, Robert F. McDermott Laughran S. Va ber attended the exhibit opening. Timothy R. McLevish Ri chard Wilcox Linn Cary Mellla Lee vVilii ams Honorary Board Members j ohn M. D eely, j!". Ol"lna C. Ogden Below, Hall of Fame illustrator Robert McGinnis stands before the tempera on illusu'a tion board painting he did for Lauri e Norton M-offatt, Director the cover of the novel P1'incess Daisy. The Portfolio Below right, Former Stockbridge Selectman Mary V. Flynn Volume 13, N umber 2, Summer 1996 shares a moment with Museum Director Laurie orton Cris Raymond, Editor Moffatt. Bea Snyder, Project Manager The Portfolio is published fo ur times a yea r by The Norman Rockwell MuseuJIl at Stockbridge, Inc., and is sent free to all members. Copyright 1996, The orman Rockwell Museum al Stockbridge. Cover: In 1964, Norman Rockwell painted President Lyndon B. Johnson. Rockwell is shown here trying out the Pres id ent's chair in the Oval Office. Photographer unidentified. 3 Stewardship ofthe Norman Rockwell Legary David KJausmeyer, President of the Board of Trustees RlOR TO BECOMING contributions to the world of lead to a deeper understanding President of the Board of illustration. of the world of illustration, PTrustees at the Norman Any business that doesn't lectures bring in authorities Rockwell Museum, I spent my understand its customers is from many different fields. professional career as an execu headed for trouble. In the early So when all is said and done, tive for a leading national and years of industry, Hemy Ford how healthy is the "bottom line" international manufacturing could say to the customer, "You a t the Norman Rockwell concern. Although I had been a can have any color you want-as Museum? On the financial side, trustee of the museum since long as it's black." No more! the museum is an effective small 1982, my new responsibilities as Customers expect choices, and business employing 80 full- and board president have given me although museum people call part-time employees with an the opportunity to reflect on the customers "audiences," the annual budget of $2.5 million. organization. principles are the same. We Solid attendance, store sales, and Former Board Although some think that the have to understand the expecta generous contributions from President Lila Wilde Berle was fundamental goal for any tions, needs and wants of a individuals and corporations presented with a business is to maximize profits, diverse audience-first-time continue to ensure that the leadership award at for a not-for-profit the bottom visitors, members, neighbors, museum remains on a sound th e Massachusetts line is to be true to its mission. guests with disabilities, students, financial footing. Governors' Conference on Actually, a well-run business, and many others. However, our fundamental Travel & Tourism. like a well-run museum, must The products and services at bottom line is our stewardship Left to ri ght, Mary have a clear commitment to its the Norman Rockwell Museum of the legacy of Norman Jane McKenna, mission. At the Norman are first rate. At the center of Rockwell. As trustees, we Director of Travel Rockwell Museum, our mission everything is our irreplaceable & Tourism; Lila helped the museum and its many W. Berle; Bill is straightforward: to present to collection. It's the real thing supporters complete its new Wilson, Director a world-wide audience the life, the world's largest collection of home. Norman Rockwell's art, of Berkshire art and spirit of Norman original art by Norman his studio, and everything else Visitors Bureau; Rockwell through exhibits and Rockwell. EvelY thing at the that we are charged with David KJ ausmeye r; Laurie Norton education; to serve as a gather museum derives from the col protecting are secure for Moffatt; Faria and ing place to enjoy Rockwell's lection exhibits, programs, spe generations to come. We know Chet Krentzman. work; and to learn about his cial events-even the gifts in the that we are communicating a museum shop. renewed appreciation for We want to Rockwell's art. His messages contribute to the about tile va lue of human beings quality of the expressed through his humor, museum expen insight, and simple affection for ence of our mankind are timeless reflections patrons, and our on our society. staff does that in We have a mission, a business countless ways. plan, a diverse and valued board, Visitor services a management team, and staff assistants make that can deliver, and a regional, visitors feel right national and international array at home, special of members and supporters. exhibits from The bottom line is strong at the other illustrators Norman Rockwell Museum. 4 A Magazine and Its Covers Jan Cohn, G.K. Funston Professor ofAmerican Literatu1'e llnd Arnel'ican Studies, Tri17ity College, Hm·tford, Connecticut OR OVER SIX DECADES, there was no cover at all. The illustration on tl1e cover. the Saturday Evening Post Post that Curtis bought, with a It was one tl1ing, however, to F was one of America's most circulation of merely 2,000, was solve the technology and popular magazines. Even today, an oversized publication (11 by aesthetics of the cover; it was older readers recall favorite writ 16 inches) mainly made up of quite another to determine its ers, stories, and characters. reprints and filler. One task was best use. For a number of years, Memoirs of famous men who to improve the editorial side of tl1e cover continued to be used came of age early in the century the publication; the other was to as an illustration for the leading often recall their youthful expe improve its aesthetic quality. piece in the magazine, whether riences as Post boys, young en The magazine was reduced in fiction or non-fiction. It took trepreneurs who paid three cents size and the quality of the print some time for the cover to gain a copy for the magazine and sold enhanced. Decorations began to its independence of the editorial it for five. Those who remember appear around titles, and, in a material, but by 1903 illustrators the Post remember most vividly very short while, more were free to paint what tl1ey its remarkable covers. important and larger decora wanted-or to paint what they Norman Rockwell was the tions were used on tl1e first page hoped editor George Horace leading cover artist for the Post of each issue. Sometimes tl1ese Lorimer wanted! for three decades, and it is were merely Rockwell who most often comes ornamental Boy 7vith Baby Carriage. to mind when Post cover art is designs, but T his May 20,1916 cover was the first one Norman Rockwell ever painted for the Post. mentioned. From his first cover now and then in 1916 to his last in 1963, he there were painted an astounding total of illustra ti ons 321 cover illustrations for the and even EVENING POST Post. However, Rockwell was far photographs from the only major illustrator tl1at related to featured on the magazine's tl1e lead story cover. In fact, his 321 covers do or article. not constitute a record; his great For the predecessor].c. Leyendecker September 30, produced 322 in a Post ca reer 1899 issue, the that lasted from 1903 to 1943. Post presented Arguably, the greatest years for a genull1e the covers of the Post were the cover. George 1920s when, between them, Gibbs painted Leyendecker and Rockwell a seasca pe and accounted for one third of all it was printed Post cover art. in color. At fi rst, color No Cover at All printing was Because of the importance of the reserved for cover, it is something of a special issues, surprise to learn that in 1897, but by 1901 @ ""c> when Cyrus Curtis bought the every issue had . ~ THE EMPIRE BUILDERS-Byl'faryRobertsRinehart g- foundering magazine for $1,000, a two-color o 5 Lorimer's Post was an up-to days, which were Leyendecker's The most significant change in date magazine; its chief interests territory.