Saying Grace Signed Print

This is a limited edition collotype print measuring 35 x 29". A total of 295 prints of this kind were produced. A set of 200 were numbered. Another set of 35 were A/P's numbered with Roman numerals. A set of 60 were unnumbered. All of the prints made were signed in pencil by Norman Rockwell, this specific edition is numbered 57/200.

Many of Rockwell's Post covers originated from his own imagination or from scenes he had witnessed and remembered; Saying Grace is one exception. In the fall of 1951, Rockwell received a letter from a woman in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, describing a scene she had witnessed in the Automat in Philadelphia. Seated at a table, she had observed a plain young woman with a little boy of about five. They walked by her with food-laden trays, laughing and happy to be in the restaurant. They took off their coats, hung them up and returned to their table at which two men were already seated, "shoving in their lunch." The young woman and boy folded their hands, bowed their heads and, for two minutes, said Grace.

From this description, Rockwell constructed his painting. He had a photographer take photos from inside an Automat in New York City and another photographer take photos of a street scene in Albany. He worked with these two locations as his background but in the end decided on a view of industrial buildings in Rensselaer, across the river from Albany. The earlier versions of the view through the window were very busy with storefronts, cars, buses and people. We can assume he found this to be too distracting from the quiet scene he was creating inside the restaurant. The natural gray tones of the buildings shrouded in smoke allows them to blend away in the background. Hearing the facts of the actual incident and then seeing how Rockwell developed it is an interesting exercise. The choices he makes of changing the age of the woman, assigning the blue-collar character to the two men and removing the scene from its city setting, to mention a few, are interesting to consider.

The purchase of any limited edition Norman Rockwell print is accompanied by an Authenticity Certificate signed by our Museum Director, a complimentary one-year Museum family membership, and care and handling instructions for the print. Payment plans are available. All artist proof purchases contribute directly to the Norman Rockwell Museum to preserve and present the art and legacy of Norman Rockwell. Please contact us for more information at 413.931.2237 or 800.742.9450. Or Email: MDuffy@nrm.org