Norman Rockwell 1894 - 1978

Col. Russell P. Reeder Jr., 1937 (gift from the artist)
Judy Goffman, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Private collection (acquired from the above)
By descent in the family to the present owner

Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, South Carolina, Norman Rockwell: An American Tradition, 1986
Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Mississippi, Norman Rockwell: The Great American Storyteller, 1988

The Saturday Evening Post, December 19, 1936, illustrated in color on the cover
Thomas Buechner, Norman Rockwell: Artist and illustrator, New York, 1970, illustrated fig. 310
Mary Moline, Norman Rockwell Encyclopedia, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, no. 1-280, p. 60, illustrated p. 61 (as Feast for A Traveler)
Laurie Norton Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, vol. 1, no. C360, p. 135, illustrated p. 134 (as Colonial Couple Under Mistletoe)
Jan Cohn, Covers of the Saturday Evening Post, New York, 1998, illustrated in color p. 162

Good condition, lined. Under UV: one small spot of retouching to upper right background, a few small spots of retouching to man's cloak, one small dot of retouching in between Post lines at right edge.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Under the Mistletoe was painted in 1936 for the December 19^th cover of The Saturday Evening Post.  Rockwell painted over 300 cover illustrations for The Post during his forty-seven year career with the publication, but his most beloved works were his holiday-themed covers commemorating New Year's, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving and especially Christmas.  Karal Ann Marling writes: "Norman Rockwell is generally credited with the invention of the modern American Christmas and the tender sentiments attached to it: kindly Santa Clauses who ponder each juvenile request; merry Dickensian travelers bound for home on cold winter nights; cozy hearths; windows aglow with warm light spilling out across the snow... his most effective Christmas scenes would draw upon this love for the world of Dickens and the pungent scent of realism Rockwell associated with the Olde England of his childhood memories" (Pictures for the American People, 1999, pp. 155, 163)

Under the Mistletoe, originally titled Feast for a Traveler, captures an intimate but playful moment between a travelling gentleman and a barmaid.  Just in from the cold winter weather, the gentleman wears a cloak with a pistol strapped to his waist; his satchel unceremoniously dropped at his feet.  His right glove and hat are clutched in his left hand which rests on the hilt of his sword, the blade playfully rising behind him.  He greets the barmaid holding a sprig of mistletoe over her head, stolen from the tray she carries, and bends forward for a kiss as she leans back in anticipation.   Rockwell felt the Christmas season was best expressed in a familiar way, "I select traditional subjects—Santa Claus, kids, Christmas revelers, or a cup of Christmas cheer in Merry old England ... because that's the way I feel about Christmas" (Norman Rockwell Album, 1961, p.113).   In Under the Mistletoe, as in many of his holiday scenes, Rockwell depicts his characters in period costumes, reflecting the nostalgic lens through which he portrayed his subjects.  The American public responded enthusiastically to these images; as Thomas Buechner writes: "...people, millions of them, enjoy his point of view.  It is their point of view, full of things they remember or can imagine or would like to imagine.  He does not try to change things; he invites people to chuckle, not to despair; to join the gang of regular fellows, not to stand alone; to reminisce, not to prophesy" (Norman Rockwell: Artist and Illustrator, 1970, p.24).