“Tom Sawyer Whitewashing the Fence (detail),” lithograph, 1936. Reproduced with permission of Easton Press.

These were classics. I read through the books, making notes of which scenes would make good pictures. Of course certain scenes—for instance, Tom whitewashing his Aunt Polly’s fence—were required.—Norman Rockwell

In 1935, George Macy, the publisher of the Heritage Press and Limited Editions Club books, invited Norman Rockwell to illustrate Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Rockwell visited Hannibal, Missouri, Twain’s boyhood town, to find authentic details to include in his work. Twain’s vivid descriptions of character, setting and mood were an inspiration to the illustrator, who considered each of the writer’s scenes to be “complete and perfect to the last detail.”

The 16 signed limited edition prints from Rockwell’s own collection comprise this exhibition featuring the artist’s timeless images for these American classics.