Norman Rockwell 1894 - 1978

Mary-Amy Cross, Massachusetts (the artist's cousin, gift from the artist)
By descent in the family to the present owners

Saturday Evening Post, February 19, 1938, illustrated in color on the cover
cf. Christopher Finch, Norman Rockwell's America, New York, 1975, no. 101, pp. 86, illustrated p. 90, and p. 289 (as The Moviestar)
cf. Donald R. Stoltz and Marshall L. Stoltz, Norman Rockwell and The Saturday Evening Post, New York, 1976, p. 139 (as Schoolgirl Crush), illustrated in color p. 140
Mary Moline, Norman Rockwell Encyclopedia: A Chronological Catalog of the Artist's Work 1910-1978, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, no.1-287, p. 62, illustrated p. 62 (as The Moviestar (Robert Taylor))
Laurie Norton Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, vol. 1, no. C367, p. 137, illustrated
Jan Cohn, Covers of the Saturday Evening Post, New York, 1998, illustrated in color p. 166

Very good condition, lined; under UV: no apparent retouching.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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In its heyday The Saturday Evening Post was "America's Magazine" and the first to reach the threshold of a million in circulation.  By 1936 over three million copies were sold each week ,and readers of all ages across the country, eagerly anticipated the next issue and came to appreciate the cover art that had become its signature. Norman Rockwell's often poignant, frequently humorous pictures dominated this national stage for nearly five decades (1916-1963) and helped to define America's image of itself during these years. Rockwell's covers included a wide range of subjects but their unifying theme was always the spirit of the men, women and children who defined the character and customs of the nation.  Rockwell consistently relied on charm, sincerity and humor to strike a chord with his audience, and he balanced these elements carefully to hold up a mirror to the public, reflecting back to them the picture of their true selves. In the 1950's, television entered into the national psyche and its popularity posed a major threat to the Post. By 1969 publication stopped, but in 1971, it started up again under a new owner.

 

The early part of the 1930's was a particularly turbulent period for Rockwell; having just married for the second time and with a young child on the way, he entered into a period of artistic frustration and procrastination. As Thomas Buechner notes, "the turning point was 1935. Almost as if he had been saving up for it, Rockwell suddenly began to pour out some of the finest work he has done...The Post covers done between 1936 and 1939 include some of his very best work." (Norman Rockwell, A Sixty Year Retrospective, 1972, p. 61)  Of course, the brilliance of Rockwell's illustrations lay not only in their sympathetic resonance with Americans, but in the subtle visual clues he used to convey underlying subtexts that spoke to deeper issues.

 

At first glance, Dreamboats is a gently humorous image of two love-struck young women.  Two college students sit on a bed in their dorm-room, staring longingly at publicity shots of Robert Taylor with hidden photos of other heartthrobs spilling out of a pillow case. On the simplest level, the image is a casual depiction of the typical schoolgirl crush in a most charmingly recognizable form.  On a second, closer look however, Rockwell's composition reveals well-hidden references to slightly more complex themes.  Though Rockwell was a frequent chronicler of America's youth, his predominant focus had been younger children.  The girls in Dreamboats are older, not only past adolescence but on the cusp of adulthood, grappling with their own sexual awakening.  In his depictions of children, Rockwell consistently focused on young boys walking the fine line between mischievous and blatantly naughty behavior.  In Dreamboats, the rebellion is more subtle, as implied by the barely legible "Dormitory Regulations" tacked to the wall above the bed. While it may not be clear exactly which rules are being broken, the juxtaposition of the posted list with the concealed nature of the photographs lends an air of illicit tension to the girls' actions. This tension is communicated visually by the strong use of diagonals, established both by the positioning of the bed and echoed in the line forming the unbroken edge of the girls' heads and back. Both are quaintly starry-eyed in their unrequited love and complicit in the ultimately secretive nature of sex - particularly when considered in the context of 1930's American mores.   Rockwell may also be casually playing with the concept of voyeurism; as the girls stare adoringly at the object of their affection, so too does his audience engage in the act of looking at them.  The inherent intimacy of the scene is further accentuated by the unfinished nature of the bed at lower right which reinforces the sense that we are privy to the most fleeting of glimpses into the inner, private world of these young girls.