Illustration as Call to Action
At the Norman Rockwell Museum
"Over the Top: American Posters from World War I"
On View November 8, 2008 through January 25, 2009

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Joan of Arc raises her sword. “Joan of Arc Saved France. Women of America, Save Your Country,” reads the poster that bears her image. A stern-faced Statue of Liberty clutches the flame of freedom and points her finger: “You Buy a Liberty Bond Lest I Perish.” Another poster bears a drawing of a helmeted soldier charging forward, head back, mouth open, gripping an American flag. “Over the Top for You,” the poster reads.

These and dozens of other stunning images are on display at Norman Rockwell Museum in a new exhibition of illustrated posters from the First World War. Over the Top: American Posters from World War I opens on November 8, 2008, and runs through January 25, 2009. This timely exhibition explores the role of illustrated images in rallying Americans to the cause, and shaping public perceptions of the war.

During World War I, posters roused Americans to support their troops, fund international aid projects, and buy bonds to finance the war effort. Imbued with iconic United States symbols like the Statue of Liberty, Uncle Sam, and the American flag, posters were installed in libraries, post offices, and schools in urban and rural communities as prominent reminders of the need for support. Leading illustrators of the day including J.C. Leyendecker, James Montgomery Flagg, Howard Chandler Christy, and Jessie Willcox Smith contributed their talents to create posters and billboards that had a powerful impact. Their illustrated imagery spurred the sale of over $20 billion in government bonds—two-thirds of the total cost of American participation in the war.

“At critical periods in our nation’s history from the Civil War onward, the illustrators have buoyed up and inspired Americans,” says Laurie Norton Moffatt, Director/CEO of Norman Rockwell Museum. “Norman Rockwell did the same. During World War II, for example, his Four Freedoms paintings, drawing on a 1941 speech by President Roosevelt, went on a nationwide tour and inspired Americans to defend the humanitarian ideals that are so central to our nation.”

“The posters in Over the Top demonstrate the power of visual images in our world,” says Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, Chief Curator at Norman Rockwell Museum. “In its heyday, illustration was a primary means of mass communication, serving to shape and reflect American society and culture.”

A special highlight of Over the Top is an exhibition exploring Norman Rockwell's stint in the Navy during World War I. It includes samples of cartoons he drew for the Navy newspapers, cover illustrations he did during the time he served, and an officer's portrait he painted.

Acknowledgements

Over the Top: American Posters from World War I has been organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., and is supported in part by the C.F. Foundation, Atlanta. The exhibition has been made possible at Norman Rockwell Museum by a generous grant from Thomas Leffingwell Pulling, Eileen K. S. Pulling, and Edward Leffingwell Pulling.

The exhibition features selected posters from the collection of Thomas and Edward Pulling, grandson and great-grandson of the Honorable R.C. Leffingwell, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and head of the War Loan Organization. R.C. Leffingwell was charged by President Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of the Treasury William G. McAdoo to devise a strategy for underwriting the war effort. He received this collection of posters in gratitude for his role in the success of the war loan campaigns.

Over the Top Programs and Events

Exhibition Opening

Join us for the opening of Over the Top: American Posters from World War I on Saturday, November 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. Get a first look at the magnificent posters on display, and learn about their historical context with commentary by exhibition lender Thomas Leffingwell Pulling and James Meehan of Meehan Military Posters. Free for Museum members and children 18 and under; $15 for non-members. Special $5 admission and resource packets for educators with school ID. For information and reservations, call 413.298.4100, or reserve online at www.nrm.org/rsvp.

Exhibition Tours

Exhibition tours are held each Saturday and Sunday, November 8, 2008 through January 25, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Free with Museum admission.

Tuesday Afternoon Gallery Talks

Join us for a special gallery talk on Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11, at 1:30 p.m. Rob Doane, assistant registrar at Norman Rockwell Museum, addresses "Norman Rockwell and the American Homefront, 1917-1919," a talk about Rockwell's stateside service in the Navy. Free with Museum admission. Other Tuesday afternoon gallery talks are scheduled for December and January; check www.nrm.org for details.

Norman Rockwell Museum

Norman Rockwell Museum is dedicated to education and art appreciation inspired by the enduring legacy of one of America's greatest artists. The Museum houses the world's largest and most significant collection of original Rockwell art. As a center devoted to the art of illustration, the Museum also exhibits the works of contemporary and past masters in an ongoing series of compelling artist showcases. The Museum is set on a 36-acre estate in Stockbridge, Mass., where Rockwell lived and worked for 25 years. Visit www.nrm.org to learn more.

Norman Rockwell Museum's 40th Anniversary

Norman Rockwell Museum celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2009. Since its founding in 1969, the Museum has become the preeminent museum of American illustration art and the legacy of Norman Rockwell through research, publications, exhibitions, and educational programming.

Admission Details

Norman Rockwell Museum is open daily. General public admission from November through April is $14 for adults, $12.50 for seniors, $10 for students, and free for visitors 18 and under (five per adult). Kids Free Every Day is a gift to families from Country Curtains and the Red Lion Inn. From November through April, weekday hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekend/holiday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gallery tours are available daily, beginning on the hour. Antenna Audio Tour of select paintings from the Museum's permanent Norman Rockwell collection is available.