Norman Rockwell 1894-1978

Commissioned by the present owner

Hartford, Connecticut, Old State House, Art From Connecticut Corporate Collections, February-March 1988

Western Cartridge Company Advertisement, 1922
Collier's, July 30, 1922, illustrated p. 37
Laurie Norton Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, no. A838, p. 574, illustrated

Norman Rockwell is considered to be one of the most important visual communicators of the twentieth century and his imagery was rooted in the idealization of American life. During his over sixty year career, Rockwell created ad campaigns for over 150 companies and produced illustrations for countless magazines and covers, most notably for The Saturday Evening Post.  Rockwell’s earliest commercial work was for Boy’s Life in 1913, while he was still a teenager.  Boy’s Life, a publication produced by The Boy Scouts of America, chronicled the activities of young boys, often depicting scenes of hunting, fishing and sporting events.   These illustrations celebrated the theme of youth, which Rockwell would revisit during his long career. 

In 1922, the Western Cartridge Company, a maker of arms and ammunition, commissioned Rockwell to create an image that would promote the company’s rifles.  Rockwell answered with His First Duck, an image reminiscent of his subject matter from these early illustrations.   Drawing on his ability to foster a narrative in a single image, Rockwell succeeded in not only alluding to the rifle’s sheer force and expertise in matters of the hunt, but also to the tradition of the father and son hunting expedition.  In His First Duck, Rockwell applied his signature summary treatment of the figures and dynamic facial expressions, and aptly conveys the awe and pride associated with this rite of passage in a young boy’s life.