Norman Rockwell Portrait Trivia Quiz

Answer: Boy Scouts of America

Norman Rockwell was hired for this position at age nineteen and he remained for three years. His first published magazine cover, "Scout at Ship's Wheel", came out on the September 13, 1913, edition of "Boys' Life".

Answer: underweight

Rockwell was six feet tall and one-hundred-forty pounds, meaning that he was eight pounds underweight. He then stuffed himself with bananas, doughnuts and liquids and went to enlist the next day. He was then accepted, but assigned as a military artist and, to his disappointment, did not see active duty.

Answer: Anne Margaret

Rockwell moved to Alhambra, California, after his divorce to stay with Clyde Forsythe temporarily. He met Mary Barstow there and they returned to New York after their marriage. Rockwell later settled in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, a short distance away from the Austin Riggs Center where his wife was treated until her death in 1959. Rockwell married again in 1961, this time to Molly Punderson.

Thomas Rhodes Rockwell is author of several books for young children, including "How to Eat Fried Worms".

Answer: The Four Freedoms

These pictures were inspired by the 1941 State of the Union Address by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt. The four pictures, which took about seven months to complete, are "Freedom of Speech", "Freedom of Worship", "Freedom from Want" and "Freedom from Fear". "The Saturday Evening Post" was so impressed, they printed these inside the magazine so that folk could frame the pictures for hanging.

The originals went on tour around the country, and posters were made. The paintings were used to help raise approximately $132 million dollars for the war effort.

Answer: April Fool's Day

When these covers were printed, there was also an article which listed the intentional errors. The first one, published in 1943, supposedly contained forty-five errors, though Rockwell said that he had "... had a letter from South American listing one hundred and eighty-four!".

One account states that part of the inspiration for these were the notes he received from "fans" often listing all of the errors made in a specific painting.

Answer: Munch

The self-portrait has been considered an artist's means to immortality. Rockwell painted several pictures that included himself.

Rockwell always considered himself an illustrator rather than a "real" artist. Some of the sources say that in this picture he was comparing himself, at age sixty six, to other artists such as Durer, Rembrandt, Picasso and Van Gogh. A different source stated that the other self-portraits were not there as a representation of artists that inspired him, but simply as another humorous poke at himself.

Answer: yes

After "Triple Self-Portrait" was published in "The Saturday Evening Post", the magazine published a serialized autobiography. This was later compiled with the help of his son, Thomas, and published as "Norman Rockwell: My Adventures As An Illustrator" in 1960. The book tells many a tale of how pictures were conceived and created.

Answer: John F. Kennedy

Rockwell's portrait of John F. Kennedy had been completed in 1960. The "Post" had been replacing the front covers with photographs instead of paintings. The number of Rockwell covers was diminishing. After many years with one editor, the magazine changed editors several times in a few years, and with readership going down, there was no clear direction for the future.

Many sources state that the death of Kennedy was one of the decisive factors in Rockwell's decision to begin depicting more politically charged issues.

Answer: Look

This painting depicts the six-year old Ruby Bridges on her way to be integrated into a New Orleans school, and was published in the January 14, 1964, edition. Ruby Bridges was photographed with President Obama while viewing the painting as it hung outside the Oval Office. The painting was on display in the White House from July 2011 to October 2011.

Answer: Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Throughout his life Rockwell resided in all of these places, but the museum is located in Stockbridge. Over 900 original paintings are displayed, and many props, materials and other personal items as well.

One quote included in his biography by the museum states "Without thinking too much about it in specific terms, I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed."