Norman Rockwell 1894 - 1978

Maquette for Waitt and Bond Cigar Company Billboard

Spanierman Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above, circa 2003

Waitt and Bond Cigar Company billboard, 1922

Norman Rockwell executed Fishing in 1922 for Waitt & Bond, then one of the largest cigar manufacturers in the United States. The painting, which features a strikingly horizontal format that is rare within the artist's body of work, is an early and remarkable example of Rockwell’s genius for subtle but highly effective marketing. Over the course of his prolific career, Rockwell produced countless illustrations for use in advertisements for over 150 American companies; his ability to sell a product by integrating it seamlessly into a compellingly idealized world made him a favorite of the industry and by the mid-1920s, his aesthetic had become firmly linked with new brand promotion. Appearing in such publications as Collier's Weekly and The Saturday Evening Post, the engaging images Rockwell produced for many of the country’s most familiar companies and products came to set the standard for other artists of the age, and helped to influence the purchasing habits of millions of Americans.