Norman Rockwell 1894 - 1978

Bob Hoff, Houston, Texas
Acquired by the present owners' father from the above, 1978

The Saturday Evening Post, June 7, 1924, illustrated p. 103
Mary Moline, Norman Rockwell Encyclopedia: A Chronological Catalog of the Artist's Work, 1910-1978, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, no. 4-87, p. 172, illustrated p. 173
Laurie Norton Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, vol. 1, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, no. A307, p. 383, illustrated p. 382

Good condition, unlined, stretcher bar marks at left, right and bottom edges, isolated craquelure. Under UV: 1 inch repaired tear (patch to reverse) in Fisk baby's torso, two horizontal lines of retouch at center left, otherwise fine.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Norman Rockwell's popular advertisements for the Fisk Tire Company of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts featured some of the artist's favorite themes of his early career. Rockwell's Fisk ads were divided into two campaigns. The first series, which promoted the company's bicycle tires, featured young boys and ran from 1917 to 1919 in magazines such as American Boy and St. Nicholas. Several years later Fisk called upon Rockwell once again to produce another series of advertisements for their line of automobile tires. The ads ran in such publications as Country Life and The Saturday Evening Post from 1924 until 1925 and comprised popular Rockwell subjects such as kindly tramps, playful dogs, and young boys.

Time to Retire: Boy and Dog was part of the latter series of advertisements for automobile tires, and appeared in The Saturday Evening Post on June 7, 1924. The image includes a young boy holding a makeshift fishing pole, and as in other Fisk illustrations, a battered Fisk Tire Company billboard hangs from an old tree trunk. On the billboard, Rockwell includes the Fisk slogan "Time to Re-tire," and the company's trademark, the so-called Fisk boy. The yawning child wearing pajamas was the 1907 creation of Burr E. Giffen, an eighteen year old artist who worked in an advertising agency employed by Fisk. Copyrighted in 1910, the Fisk boy first appeared in an advertisement in The Saturday Evening Post on March 7, 1914.