Overview

"In 1940, America's favorite illustrator Norman Rockwell, his wife Mary, and their three sons moved to the picturesque rural village of West Arlington, Vermont. The artist discovered a treasure trove of models. Norman Rockwell's Models: In and out of the Studio is the first to detail these models' lives, friendships with the artist, and experiences in his studio. Dressed in quaint work clothing, the models were dairy farmers, carpenters, country doctors, soldiers, and mechanics. Norman Rockwell's Models features nonfiction narratives telling the story of these folks during an era when they helped the war effort, farmed with horses, and received home visits from doctors. The book also describes the challenges the models faced in their own lives and how these affected their expressions in the paintings. For example, in several 1945 masterpieces, the jubilance Americans felt after the close of the second word war is revealed in their faces. Upon meeting people, young or old, the artist would say, ""Call Me Norman."" Rockwell learned the models' roles in the community and their personalities, which fostered genuine paintings. He strove, for example, to find real-life soldiers to model as WWII heroes and spirited boys and girls for lively paintings. In the studio, Norman was charming and polite but painstaking. He demonstrated poses and did whatever was necessary to evoke his trademark expressions, including telling stories of his own life, sometimes laughing or crying. Spending entire summers at his family's farmhouse near West Arlington, Vermont, the author, S. T. Haggerty, grew up knowing many models, including those who posed for such iconic works as Freedom of Speech, Breaking Home Ties, and Girl at the Mirror. Along with models and their families, the author hayed the scenic fields in the Batten Kill River Valley and swam under the red covered bridge on the Village Green. This experiences give him a unique perspective for telling this story."

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Reviews

As one who posed for Norman Rockwell, I was delighted to read the wonderful recollections and stories of his models. You will see the true dedication S. T. Haggerty has shown to honor the true, timeless work of Norman Rockwell. -- Pauline Adams Grimes, Norman Rockwell model Captures intimate details of the artist's relationships with his models and the environment in which he created his most powerful and beloved images. The first-hand anecdotes from his children, neighbors, friends, and colleagues shed a new light on his career. A must-read for anyone who is a fan of Norman Rockwell and illustration art. -- Judy Goffman Cutler, director and co-founder of the National Museum of American Illustration In this illuminating survey...Haggerty explores the dynamic exchange between artist and sitter and sheds light on the mechanics that created Rockwell's sentimental, romanticized work. -- Publishers Weekly Tells riveting stories of Norman Rockwell's Arlington, Vermont models. -- Don Trachte, Rockwell model and administrator for Vermont Norman Rockwell Models' reunions This is a wonderful project. -- Thomas Rockwell, model for his father Norman Rockwell and co-author of Norman Rockwell, My Adventures as an Illustrator You've got to read these stories! -- Jarvis Rockwell, model and artist

Norman Rockwell's Models captures intimate details of the artist's relationships with his models and the environment in which he created his most powerful and beloved images. The first-hand anecdotes from his children, neighbors, friends, and colleagues shed a new light on his career. A must-read for anyone who is a fan of Norman Rockwell and illustration art. -- Judy Goffman Cutler, director and co-founder of the National Museum of American Illustration This is a wonderful project. -- Thomas Rockwell, model and co-author of Norman Rockwell, My Adventures as an Illustrator You've got to read these stories! -- Jarvis Rockwell, model and artist

Author Information

"S.T. Haggerty is a longtime writer of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. He is known for his intriguing, heartfelt, and lively storytelling. He received his BS from Southern Vermont College, and MA in Journalism from the University of South Carolina. He lives in Pawling, New York. Grover Gardner has recorded more than 650 audiobooks since beginning his career in 1981. He's been named one of the ""Best Voices of the Century"" as well as a ""Golden Voice"" by AudioFile magazine. Gardner has garnered over 20 AudioFile Earphones Awards and is the recipient of an Audio Publishers Association Audie Award, as well as a three-time finalist. In 2005, Publishers Weekly deemed him ""Audiobook Narrator of the Year."" Gardner has also narrated hundreds of audiobooks under the names Tom Parker and Alexander Adams. Among his many titles are Marcus Sakey's At the City's Edge, as well as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and John Irving's The Cider House Rules. Gardner studied Theater and Art History at Rollins College and received a Master's degree in Acting from George Washington University. He lives in Oregon with his significant other and daughter."

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