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. 13, illustrated in color p. 12
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, June 2010-September 2011, February-April 2012 (on loan)

Print Advertisement, The Upjohn Company, 1939
Mary Moline, Norman Rockwell Encyclopedia: A Chronological Catalog of the Artist's Work 1910-1978, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, fig. 4-102, p. 177, illustrated
Dr. Donald Robert Stoltz, Marshall Louis Stoltz and William B. Earle, The Advertising World of Norman Rockwell, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1985, illustrated in color p. 202 
Laurie Norton Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, vol. I, no. A827, p. 567, illustrated

This painting is in very good condition. Lined. Under UV: there are dots of inpainting visible in the boy's stomach and right arm, as well as in the picture and background in the upper left. There is one small area of inpainting in the boy's shorts as well as some lines of inpainting, possibly to address slight cracking.
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.

Over the course of his prolific career, Norman Rockwell executed over 300 cover illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post. In addition to these beloved commissions, Rockwell also produced countless illustrations and advertisements for over 150 American companies. His effective yet subtle brand of marketing made him a favorite of the advertising industry and by the mid-1920s, his name had become almost synonymous with new product advertisement. The poignant scenes he produced in publications like Collier's Weekly and Life set the standard for other commercial artists and illustrators of the age, and helped influence the purchasing behavior of a generation of Americans.

From 1929 to 1961, Rockwell created images for the advertising campaigns of several healthcare firms, including the Upjohn companies. By the late 1930s, Upjohn had grown rapidly to become a major American pharmaceutical provider and hired Rockwell to help bolster its public image. Like most of the political, social and technological landscape of the country, the field of American medicine was experiencing profound change at this time. As the country industrialized, the old system of healthcare, once characterized by local and personal treatment, began to disappear. In its stead formed a modern industry dominated by large national companies offering a bevy of new products and services.

Appearing as a print advertisement, He's Going to be Taller than Dad exemplifies Rockwell's masterful ability to elevate commercial endeavors into the aesthetic realm. Executed in 1939, it features many of the artist's most classic visual tropes. In this charming scene, Rockwell depicts a young boy in his home accompanied by his faithful canine companion, a scene that could have occurred in any American household. As the youngster stretches to increase his frame to a higher stature in his brightly colored room, Rockwell has clearly achieved the representation of a "good, average, healthy, attractive American child" the company requested from him (quoted in The Picture of Health: Norman Rockwell Paintings, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 2003, p. 13).

Although Upjohn always allowed Rockwell a large degree of artistic license in these commissions, executives asked that several alterations be made to the charcoal sketch the artist initially presented, one of which was to give his signature a prominent placement in the composition. The purpose of this request is clear, as 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. Simultaneously engaging and subtle, and rendered in the artist's classic style, He's Going to be Taller than Dad is among the finest examples of Rockwell's imagery as a commercial illustrator.