Norman Rockwell’s Photographs: Mirrors of His Masterworks

Growing up, my ambition was to become an illustrator, and I closely followed the work of artists from Norman Rockwell and Howard Pyle to Harold Foster and Walt Disney. My interests eventually gravitated to photography, first as a photographer, then as an editor and writer. Learning of Norman Rockwell’s photographs I was delighted to find that my adult vocation and childhood interests had crossed paths – Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera represents their intersection.

 I first encountered Rockwell’s photographs in a PBS biography more than a decade ago. A few of his study photographs flashed by as the narrator explained that Rockwell photographed his models instead of posing them for hours or days as he painted. I was transfixed by how much the photos looked like his paintings come to life! These images had the unmistakable stamp of a Rockwell original but in a new and unexpected medium.

 As a researcher I am excited by discoveries that enrich the art of photography and expand its boundaries. Though Rockwell’s photographs only filled the television screen for a moment it was clear to me there were treasures in his photo archive waiting to be found.

 My schedule finally allowed me to take on this project in 2006. By happy coincidence, the Norman Rockwell Museum had just begun to scan Rockwell’s archive of more than 18,000 negatives in order to preserve this fragile resource and to make its imagery accessible. The Museum (who, with the Rockwell family and Little, Brown, were supportive from the first) generously allowed me to review scans as soon as they had been received and catalogued. I became the first independent researcher to review frame by frame their newly digitized archive.
 
As I began my research, within minutes I was discovering thrilling images that bore the hallmarks of Rockwell’s best art. I found gems that mirrored Rockwell’s well-known illustrations. His models’ familiar faces and their Rockwellian expressions radiated a startling presence thanks to the factuality of photography. But I quickly learned the images told a larger story.

It was no secret that Rockwell painted from photographs  – he had even written about it. It was a surprise, though, to discover the extent to which he used them. Everything and everyone he painted from the mid-1930s on was staged for the camera. As my research progressed it became clear that photographs were fundamental building blocks of Norman Rockwell’s art.

While illustrators and artists had used photography since its invention, their studies were often elemental visual notes. By contrast, Rockwell’s photographs were meticulously composed and carefully orchestrated for the camera. He lavished his creative energy on them and, consequently, they are works of art in their own right. What’s more, his study photographs unlock the secrets of his process and allow us to analyze his creative choices. Norman Rockwell’s photography has opened a window on his working methods and it is a revelation.
 

August 25, 2009