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Norman Rockwell
Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit (God Bless Us Everyone) 1934
Oil on canvas From the classic holiday tale A Christmas Carol, Norman Rockwell reinterpreted in paint
Charles Dickens's symbol of hope and generosity with the tragic figure of a crippled child. Six years before this cover was published by the Saturday Evening Post, Norman Rockwell produced a cover of a jolly couple dancing under mistletoe, an interpretation of Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig from the same story. It was a tale that probably captured his imagination in childhood, when it was read to him by his father in their small New York City apartment. Jarvis Waring Rockwell Sr., born in 1867, might well have been imparting the England of his parents and grandparents to young Norman through Dickens's 1843 Christmas tale. Rockwell was fond of painting lively and richly decorated images set in Victorian or Elizabethan England, probably due to his immersion as a child in Dickens's stories and in his mother's proud tales of his English ancestry. "Norman Percevel," she would say, "you have a valiant heritage. Never allow anyone to intimidate you or make you feel the least bit inferior. There has never been a common tradesman in your family. You are descended from artists and gentlemen." |