“The Homecoming” by Norman Rockwell on the cover of “The Saturday Evening Post,” May 26, 1945. Published just days after the Allied Victory in Europe.
“In the final months of World War II, Norman Rockwell delivered ‘The Homecoming’, his highly resonant cover illustration for the May 26, 1945 issue of ‘The Saturday Evening Post’, published just eighteen days after the surrender of Germany. The timely and emotional image tells the story of a young soldier arriving home, where family, neighbors and even a love interest rush to greet him with ecstatic joy. With his back to the viewer, the message focuses less on the war’s effect on the Marine and more about the family’s jubilation around their loved one’s safe return. Deborah Solomon writes, ‘In the center of the composition, a redheaded grandmother opens her arms as if to welcome not just her boy, but all the sons who served in the war. America welcomes you home, she seems to be saying.’ (‘American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell’, New York, 2013, p. 233). Complete with Blue Star Flags hanging in the windows, each star representing a family member serving in the war, the message of hope and reunion in ‘The Homecoming’ inspired the U.S. Treasury to reproduce the image as a promotion for the final War Loan Drive with the slogan, ‘Hasten the Homecoming…Buy Victory Bonds’. . . .“
[Source: Lot essay in Christie’s sale of the original painting on May 21, 2019. The painting sold for over $6.5 million.]
“The Homecoming” by Norman Rockwell on the cover of “The Saturday Evening Post,” May 26, 1945. Published just days after the Allied Victory in Europe.
“In the final months of World War II, Norman Rockwell delivered ‘The Homecoming’, his highly resonant cover illustration for the May 26, 1945 issue of ‘The Saturday Evening Post’, published just eighteen days after the surrender of Germany. The timely and emotional image tells the story of a young soldier arriving home, where family, neighbors and even a love interest rush to greet him with ecstatic joy. With his back to the viewer, the message focuses less on the war’s effect on the Marine and more about the family’s jubilation around their loved one’s safe return. Deborah Solomon writes, ‘In the center of the composition, a redheaded grandmother opens her arms as if to welcome not just her boy, but all the sons who served in the war. America welcomes you home, she seems to be saying.’ (‘American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell’, New York, 2013, p. 233). Complete with Blue Star Flags hanging in the windows, each star representing a family member serving in the war, the message of hope and reunion in ‘The Homecoming’ inspired the U.S. Treasury to reproduce the image as a promotion for the final War Loan Drive with the slogan, ‘Hasten the Homecoming…Buy Victory Bonds’. . . .“
[Source: Lot essay in Christie’s sale of the original painting on May 21, 2019. The painting sold for over $6.5 million.]