Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) American painter and Illustrator Preview and Print Preview and print this free printable artist biography by clicking on the orange button.

Norman Perceval Rockwell was born in New York City on February 3, 1894. He was the second son to Jarvis Waring Rockwell, a Philadelphia textile firm manager, and Anne Mary Hill Rockwell. His brother, Jarvis Waring Rockwell, Jr., had been born 18 months before.

Norman's artistic abilities were identified early in his life, and he enrolled in Chase Art School at the age of 14. After that, he went on to the National Academy of Design, and then later the Art Students League, both located in New York City. As a student, Norman found his first big break when he was given the opportunity to illustrate Carl H. Claudy's Tell Me Why: Stories About Mother Nature. By the age of 18, Norman's career was officially launched with paintings that he produced as the editor for Boys' Life magazine and Boy Scouts of America.

Three years later Rockwell met a cartoonist for the Saturday Evening Post, and in 1916 Rockwell's first painting appeared on the cover of that magazine. The popularity of the magazine soon made Norman Rockwell an artist that was loved across the country.

Rockwell concluded his time at the Saturday Evening Post in 1963, having produced 321 paintings for the magazine. He spent the next ten years working for Look magazine, creating art that depicted his interests in civil rights, poverty and space exploration.

Norman Rockwell died on November 8, 1978 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Touching and meaningful, his paintings gave a glimpse of ordinary yet humorous occasions that were relatable to people at every time of life. During his lifetime, he produced over 4,000 original works of art, including portraits for presidents. Some of his most famous works include Triple Self-Portrait, Doctor and Doll, Walking to Church, and Rosie the Rivetor.

Norman Rockwell Lesson Resources

Design a Magazine Cover | Worksheet
Norman Rockwell | Word Search Worksheet
"Meet the Artist" Job Application | Worksheet

Norman Rockwell Art Gallery

Rosie the Riveter (1943) by Norman Rockwell | Magazine Cover Rosie the Riveter represented American women working in factories during World War II.

No Swimming (1921) by Norman Rockwell | The Saturday Evening Post Magazine Cover No Swimming is representative of Rockwell's style, providing the viewer with a humorous image of everyday life in America.

The copyright for these images is most likely held by the publisher of the magazine or the individual contributors who worked on the covers shown. It is believed that the use of low-resolution images of magazine covers to illustrate this publication qualifies as fair use under the United States copyright law.