The
painting on this card sent to me by Mamiko
from Japan was by Norman Percevel
Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978), who was a 20th-century
American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the
United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is
most famous for the cover illustrations
of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening Post magazine
for more than four decades. Among the best-known of Rockwell's works are
the Willie Gillis series, Rosie the Riveter, Saying Grace (1951), The
Problem We All Live With, and the Four Freedoms series. He is also
noted for his work for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), producing
covers for their publication Boys' Life, calendars, and other
illustrations.
For
"vivid and affectionate portraits of our country," Rockwell received
the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America's highest
civilian honour, in 1977.
Rockwell
died November 8, 1978, of emphysema at age 84 in Stockbridge,
Massachusetts. First Lady Rosalynn Carter attended his funeral.