1894

Norman Perceval Rockwell was born on February 3, in New York city. He was the second child of r Anne Mary “Nancy” Hill Rockwell and Jarvis Waring Rockwell. Norman’s brother, Jarvis was a year and a half older. They lived at W 103 206 (103^rd and Amsterdam Ave)

1896

Family moved to 147^th and St Nicholas Avenue

1901

Moved in with grandparents at 152^nd street and St Nicholas Avenue.

1903

WikiTree shows J Moling Rockwell born, Normans second brother (not verified) The Rockwell’s moved out of New York city to a suburb called Mamaroneck. A comfortable old house at 415 Prospect Avenue.

1909

At the age of 15, Norman Rockwell left Mamaroneck High School to attend the National Academy of Design in New York City.

1911

Illustrated his first book, "Tell-Me-Why Stories" about Mother Nature by C.H. Claudy (published 1912). He was paid $150 to create 12 paintings.

Started classes at the Art Students League in October.

1912

Norman, at age 18, left art school to start his career. Rented his first studio.

1913

He soon became the art director of Boy's Life, a boy scout magazine. His salary at Boy's Life was $50 a month

1915

Family moved to New Rochelle, Norman followed, moving to 24 Lord Kitchener Road, New Rochelle, New York and established own studio at 360 North Avenue

1916

Married Irene O’Conner July 1, 1916 (or April 3?) in Potsdam New York.

First cover for The Saturday Evening Post. On May 20.

1917

Moved to 308 Huguenot Street, New Rochelle, Westchester, New York. Work was published in The Country Gentleman.

1918

Work was published in The Literary Digest.

Norman joined the Navy July 31. He was discharged from the Navy November 19. He returned to New Rochelle, New York.

1921

Rockwell restored a barn on the property of George Lischke in New Rochelle, New York for a studio at a cost of $23,000. The studio was located on the second floor of a barn, which he rented for $25 a month.

Paints No Swimming, one of the most famous paintings.

Was invited to help select Miss America.

He painted Irene on a Literary Digest cover, Mother Tucking Children Into Bed (or Mother's Little Angels).

1923

Trip to Paris to try his hand at modern art.

He enrolled briefly at the Académie Colarossi and spent time studying the work of vanguard painters such as Picasso and Matisse.

1924

Norman produced his first painting for a Boy Scouts of America calendar. This began a fifty-year streak that only missed two years. Brown & Bigelow published the Boy Scout Calendar. The painting was then given to the Boy Scouts and published on the cover of Boy's Life.

1926

First full color POST cover.

1927

Traveled to Europe again.

Painted a picture of a pilot to recognize Charles Lindbergh.

1929

Rockwell traveled to Europe with friends, three couples. He lived the high life in Europe that summer. His wife Irene had stayed behind. Upon his return, his wife Irene asked for a divorce. Separated from his wife, he moved to hotel Des Artistes at 67^th and Central Park West in New York.

1930

Divorced Irene January 13.

Married Mary Rhoads Barstow April 17 (Los Angeles, CA).

Moved back to New York. Some say to 24 Lord Kitchener Road in New Rochelle New York, but that was the old family home.

The August 23, 1930 cover of The Saturday Evening Post features Mary on its cover. She was the model for the wife in the painting, The Breakfast Table.

1931

Death of Father Jarvis Waring Rockwell July 3 in Volusia Florida.

Frist son: Jarvis born September 4.

1932

Traveled to Europe again

1933

Second son: Thomas born March 13, 1933

1935

Rockwell received commissions from George Macy of Heritage Press to illustrate Mark Twain's classics The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (published 1936) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (published 1940). Rockwell's illustrations remain the standard today for those books.

1936

Third son: Peter born September 16, 1936 – Died February 6, 2020

1938

Moved to Arlington, Vermont soon after another trip to Europe. Bought an old farm house. Could not find an address but it was within bicycle ride of the next home also in Arlington (3587 River Road).

1943

Norman began concentrating on the 4 Freedoms paintings:

    1. The Freedom of Speech

    2. The Freedom of Worship

    3. The Freedom of Want

    4. The Freedom of Fear

Norman's studio burnt down in May. Rockwell lost his extensive costumes and props collection. In addition, an unknown number of paintings were lost to the fire.

A short time later (September 18, 1943), he bought a house on the village green in West Arlington at 3587 River Road dating back to 1792. Had to cross the Batton Kill river in covered bridge. It was sold in 1953 and is now a fancy hotel named “ROCKWELL RETREAT”.

1944

Built a new studio behind the new house. That summer while waiting for the new studio he worked in the one room schoolhouse near the old place, bicycling down the back road every morning with lunch in a basket.

1949

In 1949, Rockwell started a new calendar series for calendar publisher, Brown & Bigelow. The Four Seasons calendars were published for seventeen straight years.

1951

Paints Saying Grace.

1953

Mother Anne Mary Rockwell known as “Nancy” died March 5 (age 86) in Yonkers New York.

In the fall Rockwell purchased a house in Stockbridge Massachusetts near the cemetery, Then rented studio space in the center of Stockbridge over Sullivan’s Meat Market and soon leased the adjoining room. With permission, he enlarged the north window, and removed the dividing wall to create one large workspace. Over the next four years, the artist produced many popular Saturday Evening Post covers including Breaking Home Ties (1954), Girl at Mirror (1954), Art Critic (1955), and Marriage License (1955).

1957

August when Rockwell purchased his final property. It was on South Street in Stockbridge Massachusetts about a block from the Red Lion Inn.

1959

Mary died in her sleep of a heart attack. Stockbridge psych hospital August 25.

1960

Painted his Triple Self Portrait for the February 13, 1960 Saturday Evening Post cover.

1961

Married Mary “Molly” Leet Punderson on October 25 (dob 9/15/1896). Daughter of James Hyatt & Clara Mary (Edwards) Punderson

1963

Norman leaves the Saturday Evening Post after 323 covers.

Final POST cover

1964

Norman drew a picture showing racism.

Look magazine published its first Rockwell illustrations. He painted works for Look for the next decade.

1966

Rockwell traveled to Hollywood, California to help promote the movie, Stagecoach. He also painted portraits of principal stars of the movie. Portraits included Ann-Margret, Red Buttons, Mike Connors, Alex Cord, Bing Crosby, Robert Cummings, Van Heflin, Slim Pickens and Stefanie Powers. Rockwell also had a small part in the movie as a Townsman.

1969

The Norman Rockwell Museum was founded

1973

Normans brother Jarvis Waring Rockwell Jr died May 9.

The film, Norman Rockwell's World... An American Dream, won an Oscar from the Academy Awards in the category Best Short Subject, Live Action Films. Rockwell starred as himself in the film.

1976

July 1976 brought Rockwell’s last published work, the cover of “American Artist.” He painted himself draping a “Happy Birthday” banner on the Liberty Bell in observance of the Fourth of July and the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

The town honored Norman with a parade on May 23. Rockwell left the Stockbridge studio and contents to the Norman Rockwell Museum.

1977

Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Gerald Ford.

This honor was in recognition of his "vivid and affectionate portraits of our country."

1978

Norman died at the age of 84 on November 8. He was an outpatient at the same psych hospital where his wife Mary was an inpatient.  He was survived by his widow, Mary Punderson Rockwell, by his sons Jarvis, Thomas and Peter and by seven grandchildren. First Lady Rosalynn Carter attended his funeral.

1985

Norman’s third wife Mary Penderson (Molly) died July 20.

1986

In 1986 Rockwell's studio was sliced in two, put on two flatbed trucks, and carefully moved through the streets of Stockbridge from behind the artist's last residence to the grounds of the then-being-built Norman Rockwell Museum.

1993

The Norman Rockwell Museum opened in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Norman’s red barn studio was moved to the grounds of the museum.

2006

Breaking home ties painting sold for $15.4 million

2013

Saying Grace painting sold for $46 million

2020

Norman’s son Peter Rockwell died February 6