This is a historically important and RARE Important Fine Norman Rockwell Americana "Freedom from Fear" Collotype on paper, limited edition and hand signed by the artist in ink pen. This Collotype print is by Arthur Jaffe - New York Copyright Curtis Publishing Co. Raymond & Raymond Inc. Approximately 35 x 42 inches (including frame.)  Actual visible artwork is approximately 23 1/2 inches x 30 1/2 inches. This Collotype Print was likely originally purchased at The Corner House in Stockbridge, MA., ca 1971 - 1972. The Corner House was then the official Norman Rockwell Museum, which has since moved to a new facility in Stockbridge. The image is known as "Freedom from Fear" and was produced by collotype, a printing process in which an image is transferred to paper by means of a plate coated with gelatin, in an artist-signed edition of 200. The usual practice was to do a print run of 295, from which Rockwell would sign 200 in the normal run, with an additional 35 artist's proofs signed and numbered in Roman numerals. Freedom from Fear is the last of the well-known Four Freedoms oil paintings produced by the American artist Norman Rockwell. The series was based on the four goals known as the Four Freedoms, which were enunciated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his State of the Union Address on January 6, 1941. This work was published in the March 13, 1943, issue of The Saturday Evening Post alongside an essay by a prominent thinker of the day, Stephen Vincent Benét. The painting is generally described as depicting American children being tucked into bed by their parents while the Blitz rages across the Atlantic in the United Kingdom. This image is an emotionally stirring work that cannot help but affect you emotionally when you observe it. Good condition for age, with some mild - moderate scuffing and edge wear to the vintage wooden frame, and multiple speckles of pale-yellow soiling to the edges of the inner cloth frame (please see photos.) Acquired in Los Angeles County, California. Due to the large size and heavy weight of this piece, S&H costs will be unavoidably high. However, Free Local Pickup from Los Angeles County, California is also an option. This rare hand signed Norman Rockwell print is Priced to Sell. If you like what you see, I encourage you to make an Offer. Please check out my other listings for more wonderful and unique artworks!



About this Artwork:

Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Fear” is a powerful portrayal of the anxieties and uncertainties experienced by families during WWII. The painting depicts a father, mother, and their children huddled together in bed, with the parents’ worried expressions conveying the dangers that surrounded them. The piece emphasizes the importance of protecting future generations from war-related instability.

Rockwell created this work as part of his Four Freedoms series in 1943, inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vision of universal rights for all citizens. “Freedom from Fear” represents one of these freedoms, underscoring America’s role in defeating tyrannical forces and preserving domestic tranquility.

The artwork was immensely successful in motivating Americans to support their troops and contribute to the war effort. It became the centerpiece of an extensive War Bond campaign that raised over $132 million – more than two billion dollars today – making it the most prosperous fundraising drive in U.S. history.

Today, “Freedom from Fear” remains on display at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, reminding visitors not only of its historical significance but also its lasting message about the need for a peaceful world free from fear.”

About the Artist:

Born in New York City, Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) always wanted to be an artist. At age 14, Rockwell enrolled in art classes at The New York School of Art (formerly The Chase School of Art). Two years later, in 1910, he left high school to study art at The National Academy of Design. He soon transferred to The Art Students League, where he studied with Thomas Fogarty and George Bridgman. Fogarty’s instruction in illustration prepared Rockwell for his first commercial commissions. From Bridgman, Rockwell learned the technical skills on which he relied throughout his long career.

Rockwell found success early. He painted his first commission of four Christmas cards before his sixteenth birthday. While still in his teens, he was hired as art director of Boys’ Life, the official publication of the Boy Scouts of America, and began a successful freelance career illustrating a variety of young people’s publications.

At age 21, Rockwell’s family moved to New Rochelle, New York, a community whose residents included such famous illustrators as J.C. and Frank Leyendecker and Howard Chandler Christy. There, Rockwell set up a studio with the cartoonist Clyde Forsythe and produced work for such magazines as Life, The Literary Digest, and Country Gentleman. In 1916, the 22-year-old Rockwell painted his first cover for The Saturday Evening Post, the magazine considered by Rockwell to be the “greatest show window in America.” Over the next 47 years, 321 Rockwell covers would appear on the cover of the Post. Also in 1916, Rockwell married Irene O’Connor, whom he divorced in 1930.

The 1930s and 1940s are generally considered to be the most fruitful decades of Rockwell’s career. In 1930 he married Mary Barstow, a schoolteacher, and the couple had three sons, Jarvis, Thomas, and Peter. The family moved to Arlington, Vermont in 1939.

In 1943, inspired by President Franklin Roosevelt’s address to Congress, Rockwell painted the Four Freedoms paintings. They were reproduced in four consecutive issues of The Saturday Evening Post with essays by contemporary writers. Rockwell’s interpretations of Freedom of Speech, Freedom to Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear proved to be enormously popular. The works toured the United States in an exhibition that was jointly sponsored by the Post and the U.S. Treasury Department and, through the sale of war bonds, raised more than $130 million for the war effort ($3.2 billion in 2018 dollars, when adjusted for inflation).

Although the Four Freedoms series was a great success, 1943 also brought Rockwell an enormous loss. A fire destroyed his Arlington studio as well as numerous paintings and his collection of historical costumes and props.

In 1953, the Rockwell family moved from Arlington, Vermont, to Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Six years later, Mary Barstow Rockwell died unexpectedly. In collaboration with his son Thomas, Rockwell published his autobiography, My Adventures as an Illustrator, in 1960. The Saturday Evening Post carried excerpts from the best-selling book in eight consecutive issues, with Rockwell’s Triple Self-Portrait on the cover of the first.

In 1961, Rockwell married Mollie Punderson, a retired teacher. Two years later, he ended his nearly fifty year association with The Saturday Evening Post and began to work for Look magazine. During his ten years working forLook, Rockwell painted pictures illustrating some of his deepest concerns and interests including civil rights, America’s war on poverty, and the exploration of space.

In 1973, Rockwell established a trust to preserve his artistic legacy by placing his works in the custodianship of the Old Corner House Stockbridge Historical Society, later to become Norman Rockwell Museum at Stockbridge. The trust now forms the core of the Museum’s permanent collections. In 1976, in failing health, Rockwell became concerned about the future of his studio. He arranged to have his studio and its contents added to the trust. In 1977, Rockwell received the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.