Norman Rockwell 1894 - 1978

The Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1939 (commissioned from the artist)
Acquired by the present owner, 2003

Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Norman Rockwell Museum, The Picture of Health: Norman Rockwell Paintings, November 2003-May 2004, p. 14, illustrated in color p. 15
Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Norman Rockwell Museum; Old Lyme, Connecticut, Florence Griswold Museum; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Kalamazoo Institute of Art; Mobile, Alabama, Mobile Museum of Art; Fredericksburg, Virginia, Gari Melchers Home and Studio; El Paso, Texas, El Paso Museum of Art; Sandwich, Massachusetts, Heritage Museum and Gardens, Picturing Health: Norman Rockwell and the Art of Illustration, January 2007-September 2012
Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Norman Rockwell Museum, July 2008-April 2012 (on loan)

Saturday Evening Post, September 4, 1943, illustrated p. 77
Life Magazine, November 1, 1943
Mary Moline, Norman Rockwell Encyclopedia: A Chronological Catalog of the Artist's Work 1910-1978, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, p. 176
Dr. Donald Robert Stoltz, Marshall Louis Stoltz and William B. Earle, The Advertising World of Norman Rockwell, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1985, illustrated in color p. 203
Laurie Norton Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, vol. I, no. A829, p. 569, illustrated

The following condition report has been prepared by Simon Parkes Art Conservation: This painting has been lined with wax as an adhesive. This lining is reversible. The canvas is quite rough in texture, providing a slightly different feel to the paint layer. Under ultraviolet light, typical Rockwell eccentricities are visible. In terms of actual retouches, there may be some restorations around the edges, and the edges do read slightly darker than the remainder of the picture under ultraviolet light. These darker areas of pigment around the edges under ultraviolet light may be original. It is possible, and even likely, that Rockwell wanted a little more space around the edges and enlarged the picture as much as he could by reusing some of the canvas that was originally the tacking edge. There is a restoration right in front of the doctor's feet. The condition is very good.
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.

The Upjohn Company recruited Rockwell in the late 1930s to bolster public support for the company’s latest evolution: the focus of its research had recently shifted from medicines made from plant-based products to ones derived from animal extracts and chemicals. This transition presented a marketing challenge as the company endeavored to reassure Americans of their safety. Upjohn recruited Rockwell as much for his artistic ability as for his reputation: not only did his images persuade Americans to buy, but his signature provided an additional endorsement that could enhance a company’s image through its association with the immensely popular and wholesome artist.

Rockwell painted When the Doctor Treats Your Child in 1939, and it was reproduced in both the Saturday Evening Post and Life in 1943. Upjohn executives asked Rockwell to paint a doctor writing a prescription for a typical, happy American family. This image epitomizes Rockwell’s ability to market new products and technology by tapping into the country’s nostalgia for the past. Seeking to inspire uncertain consumers to view their pharmaceutical and healthcare providers with confidence, he presents a vision of American healthcare characterized by personal care and intimacy. Beautifully painted and displaying an acute attention to naturalistic detail, the canvas is imbued with the small details of ordinary people in everyday life.

Although Rockwell’s own wife, Mary, served as a model for the mother with her three children, the scene continues to exude a timeless sense of familiarity. Even today, Rockwell’s figures--often modeled on his friends and family members--could be our own friends, neighbors, or even ourselves. In this portrayal of responsible parents, healthy children, and attentive physicians, the values of patience and compassion clearly endure, and evoke a time when the world was kinder and simpler. The balance of the composition, the warmth in the palette, and the intangible familiarity of each scene all ultimately work to communicate a message of trust and stability during an era of enormous flux.