Inthese works, Rockwell offered a nation battered by the Great Depression andWorld War II a reassuring image of American life: orderly, self-reliant, andpicturesque. Through paintings and illustrations, Rockwell captured not simplyscenes of New England life, but a deeply rooted ethos-one in which democraticcommunity, moral clarity, and quiet individualism flourished.Thisbook, and the accompanying exhibition, situates Rockwell's Vermont years withina broader creative milieu, highlighting the Arlington artist circle thatincluded John Atherton (1900-1952), and Gene Pelham (1909-2004)- all informallyenticed to Arlington, Vermont. Together, they helped define a cultural momentin which Vermont was mythologized as democracy's granite-strong refuge. EvenRockwell's orchestrated friendship with Anna Mary "Grandma" Moses (1860-1961)was part of a wider crafting of New England as both authentic andmarketable-where artists and audiences alike found a form of moral anchorage.Featuringtwo newly acquired Rockwell paintings to Shelburne Museum celebrating Vermont'sgranite industry-long regarded as the state's "backbone"-Norman Rockwell: AtHome in Vermont examines not only the imagery but the carefulmythmaking that made Vermont central to Rockwell's enduring vision ofAmerica. Today, Rockwell's work is housed in major museums across thecountry, a testament to his profound influence as an artist.
