The Book of Romance appeared as an art feature in the July 1927 issue of Ladies' Home Journal. This publication was created by Cyrus Curtis, a publisher and editor in Philadelphia, as a weekly paper in 1883 called The Tribune and Farmer. He wanted to include a women's section and asked his wife, Louisa Knapp Curtis to look it over. She didn't like it, and became the first editor of the Ladies' Home Journal. The magazine was an immediate success and reached a then-record-breaking circulation of 1 million in 1903. The magazine features articles on decorating one's home, recipes, fashion advice, tips on raising a family, sewing and financial advice.

While Norman Rockwell is best known for his Saturday Evening Post covers, he painted two covers and approximately twenty-five story illustrations for Ladies' Home Journal over a fifty-year span.

View Rockwell's artwork for Ladies' Home Journal in the slideshow below.



 

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), The Book of Romance, 1927. Oil on canvas, 32" x 42". Story illustration for Ladies' Home Journal, October 27, 1927. Norman Rockwell Museum Collections, NRM.1985.03. ©Norman Rockwell Family Agency. All rights reserved.

Artwork from Norman Rockwell Museum Collections and Digital Collections. ©Norman Rockwell Family Agency. All rights reserved.