Norman Rockwell
Freedom From Fear original 1943 Four Freedoms vintage poster
1943

Name: Freedom From Fear original 1943 Four Freedoms vintage poster
Brand: Norman Rockwell
Price: 750 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Original World War II "Freedom from Fear" Ours ... To fight for by Rockwell. One of the 4 freedom posters created in 1943 by Norman Rockwell. Freedoms so eloquently presented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his State of the Union speech to Congress, Jan. 6, 1941. OWI Poster No. 46. U. S. Government Printing Office 1943-0-511887 Reference: American Style p.132, Posters for Victory p. 40ff, Design for Victory p.37, War Posters 210 (var.) Illustrator Norman Rockwell used his Vermont neighbors to help interpret the staunchly American values contained in the "Four Freedoms" so eloquently presented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his State of the Union speech to Congress, Jan. 6, 1941. The Four Freedoms is probably the most ambitious and serious work by the most famous American illustrator in the 20th century. In addition to major advertising campaigns, his talent was also employed by the US government for support of the Second World War effort. It was FDR who had distilled the cause for which we were fighting into Four Freedoms. Only Rockwell could have represented such big ideas in his homey, folksy way without over-sentimentalizing or trivializing them. He undertook the paintings on his own initiative; it was only after he had failed to interest the Office of War Information in them and they had been published in the Post that the government saw their potential and used them in poster campaigns for both the general war effort and War Bonds. The Treasury Department also took the originals on tour; seen by 1.2 million people, they helped sell $132 million in bonds. The original paintings form the centerpiece of the Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, as well as that of the smashingly successful tour of this artist's work. This is the smaller format of the series. Creator/Contributor: Rockwell, Norman 1894-1978 / Saturday evening post. This is an original 1943 World War II vintage poster, linen backed. Original fold marks touched up during linen backing. The US Government World War II posters were folded for mailing and this is not considered a defect. This poster did have an additional fold mark, horizontally in the upper section of the poster.

Creator:

Norman Rockwell (1894 - 1978, American)

Creation Year:

1943

Dimensions:

Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)Depth: 0.1 in (2.54 mm)

Medium:

Offset

Movement & Style:

American Realist

Period:

1940-1949

Condition:

original US Government fold marks.

Gallery Location:

Spokane, WA

Reference Number:

Seller: 96591stDibs: LU140428435082

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Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell is among the most revered painters of the 20th century. His figurative and portrait paintings reflect an innocent and idyllic America described by the artist as "life as I would like it to be." For nearly 50 years, he illustrated the covers of The Saturday Evening Post in a rich and emotive style that gave distinctive personalities to his imagined characters. In total, Norman Rockwell created more than 4,000 works of art over the course of his life.

Rockwell was born in 1894 in New York City. His artistic aspirations took shape early on, and when he was 14 years old, he took classes at the New York School of the Art, which is now the Parsons School of Design. Later, he attended the Art Students League of New York, where he studied under influential painters Thomas Fogarty and George Bridgman. While still a teen, Rockwell became art director of the Boy Scouts of America publication Boys' Life.

At 21, Rockwell moved to New Rochelle, New York, and opened a studio with fellow illustrator Victor Clyde Forsythe. He created illustrations for magazines like Literary Digest and Life before his first cover for The Saturday Evening Post was published when he was 22. In 1939, after moving to Arlington, Vermont, Rockwell pivoted to making the nostalgic paintings of small-town and iconic America for which he is best known — scenes of Christmas dinner, children playing in the street and national treasures like Ruby Bridges and Rosie the Riveter.

In 1943, a speech previously given by President Franklin Roosevelt inspired Rockwell to create his most famous series, “The Four Freedoms,” which was exhibited all over the United States. The series included four pieces entitled Freedom of Speech, Freedom to Worship, Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear.

Rockwell moved with his family to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1953, where he spent the rest of his life. My Adventures as an Illustrator — the autobiography Rockwell wrote with the help of his son, Thomas — was published in 1960. In 1963, Rockwell ceased working with The Saturday Evening Post and started drawing illustrations for Look magazine.

The world’s largest collection of original Rockwell art can be found at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. The artist was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, and he passed away peacefully in his home the following year.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of original Norman Rockwell paintings, prints, drawings and other works.