Ad for the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company, in “The Saturday Evening Post,” October 22, 1960. Art by Tom Lovell.
The ad is a great example of that era’s artistry in advertising illustration, though I don’t understand why a company headquartered in Boston would publish a scene from Wisconsin. Beautiful as they are, the Dells are not in New England and there are just as many scenic spots in New England worth capturing on canvas. Are there not? Bing Copilot answers:
Absolutely! New England is brimming with painterly landscapes that rival the Dells in quiet majesty and emotional resonance. If the ad’s goal was to evoke “the better life,” it’s curious they didn’t draw from their own backyard, where the interplay of history, nature, and seasonal light offers endless visual poetry. Here are just a few places that would’ve made compelling alternatives:
🍂 New England Scenes Worthy of Canvas
•Mount Desert Island & Acadia National Park (Maine) Rugged coastlines, wind-sculpted pines, and the Atlantic’s shifting moods—Cadillac Mountain at sunrise is practically a masterclass in atmospheric perspective.
•Stowe & the Green Mountains (Vermont) Covered bridges, white-steepled churches, and autumn foliage so vivid it feels surreal. Stowe’s pastoral charm is tailor-made for nostalgic Americana.
•Southeast Lighthouse on Mohegan Bluffs (Rhode Island) Perched above dramatic cliffs, this lighthouse offers commanding views of the sea and sky—ideal for compositions that blend solitude with grandeur.
•Mount Auburn Cemetery (Massachusetts) A garden cemetery inspired by English and French traditions, it’s a place where memory and landscape intertwine. Longfellow’s tomb among the trees? That’s a scene begging for chiaroscuro.
•Brewster Tidal Flats (Cape Cod) At sunset, the sand ripples catch light like molten stained glass. It’s a minimalist’s dream—texture, reflection, and silence in motion.
It’s possible the ad’s creators chose the Wisconsin Dells for their national appeal or perhaps to evoke a sense of leisure unbound by geography. But for a company rooted in Boston, the omission of New England’s own visual heritage feels like a missed opportunity—especially when the region’s landscapes already carry the emotional weight and cultural symbolism the ad aspires to.
If you were to reimagine that ad with a New England setting, which scene would you choose? Something coastal and windswept, or perhaps a quiet woodland moment with a gesture of care tucked into the frame?
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Tom Lovell (1909–1997) was a prominent American commercial artist and illustrator known for his work in magazines and pulp fiction during the mid-20th century, before becoming an acclaimed painter of the American West. A meticulous researcher, Lovell considered himself a "storyteller with a brush" who captured American history with authenticity and emotional depth.
Ad for the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company, in “The Saturday Evening Post,” October 22, 1960. Art by Tom Lovell.
The ad is a great example of that era’s artistry in advertising illustration, though I don’t understand why a company headquartered in Boston would publish a scene from Wisconsin. Beautiful as they are, the Dells are not in New England and there are just as many scenic spots in New England worth capturing on canvas. Are there not? Bing Copilot answers:
Absolutely! New England is brimming with painterly landscapes that rival the Dells in quiet majesty and emotional resonance. If the ad’s goal was to evoke “the better life,” it’s curious they didn’t draw from their own backyard, where the interplay of history, nature, and seasonal light offers endless visual poetry. Here are just a few places that would’ve made compelling alternatives:
🍂 New England Scenes Worthy of Canvas
•Mount Desert Island & Acadia National Park (Maine) Rugged coastlines, wind-sculpted pines, and the Atlantic’s shifting moods—Cadillac Mountain at sunrise is practically a masterclass in atmospheric perspective.
•Stowe & the Green Mountains (Vermont) Covered bridges, white-steepled churches, and autumn foliage so vivid it feels surreal. Stowe’s pastoral charm is tailor-made for nostalgic Americana.
•Southeast Lighthouse on Mohegan Bluffs (Rhode Island) Perched above dramatic cliffs, this lighthouse offers commanding views of the sea and sky—ideal for compositions that blend solitude with grandeur.
•Mount Auburn Cemetery (Massachusetts) A garden cemetery inspired by English and French traditions, it’s a place where memory and landscape intertwine. Longfellow’s tomb among the trees? That’s a scene begging for chiaroscuro.
•Brewster Tidal Flats (Cape Cod) At sunset, the sand ripples catch light like molten stained glass. It’s a minimalist’s dream—texture, reflection, and silence in motion.
It’s possible the ad’s creators chose the Wisconsin Dells for their national appeal or perhaps to evoke a sense of leisure unbound by geography. But for a company rooted in Boston, the omission of New England’s own visual heritage feels like a missed opportunity—especially when the region’s landscapes already carry the emotional weight and cultural symbolism the ad aspires to.
If you were to reimagine that ad with a New England setting, which scene would you choose? Something coastal and windswept, or perhaps a quiet woodland moment with a gesture of care tucked into the frame?
--------------------------------------------------------
Tom Lovell (1909–1997) was a prominent American commercial artist and illustrator known for his work in magazines and pulp fiction during the mid-20th century, before becoming an acclaimed painter of the American West. A meticulous researcher, Lovell considered himself a "storyteller with a brush" who captured American history with authenticity and emotional depth.