Norman Rockwell

Class Date: August 6

Location: Your couch! See your weekly e-mail for Zoom link!

This week we’re discussing the life of Norman Rockwell, one of the most famous American painters of the last century. We will depart from our timeline for a brief moment, to take a brief look at art in general. Then we’ll return to a brief timeline of the U.S. that happened before and during some of Rockwell’s lifetime.

Humans, since the dawn of civilization, have created works of art. Sculpture might be one of the oldest forms of art, as evidence suggests that people carved before they even painted the walls of caves. Most often, early sculptures were less about making a beautiful object and more about providing spiritual support or aiding in a ritual. Many sculptures were worshiped as good or evil figures, often to seek favor for survival, food, or good fortune.

Over time, art became more central to developing culture, and was expressed in thousands of ways. Ancient Egypt erected huge pyramids and made statues, sculptures, and paintings to praise their deities and assist their dead in transitioning beyond this life and into the next. Aegean cultures created scenes on pottery to tell of great deeds and every day life. And the ancient Greeks, starting in the late 7th century B.C. endeavored to more perfectly represent the human figure in stone.  The list could go on and on (and on) of civilizations and cultures that developed their own unique art forms and styles. In almost every corner of the globe, one can find both ancient and modern examples of art out of thousands of mediums.

But what makes art special? Why does it exist? The answers to those questions are almost as varied and extensive as the art forms themselves. But it is important to note that it is almost exclusively humans that produce art, for art’s sake. There are some examples of elephants and gorillas who might paint and make pictures, but many of them have been trained and only do so with human intervention/assistance. Many plants and animals are their own forms of art (think of peacocks or beautiful flowers), but their art is largely about reproduction and survival. It seems to be a uniquely human experience to produce art as a creative expression. With that said, art is important for a number of reasons:

·   Art evokes emotion. It can be any sort of emotion: joy, love, excitement, nostalgia, even anger. But art often makes the artist and the viewer feel something.

·   Art relies on shared memory and experience. Art often relies on our shared memories to impart its importance. For example, Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup can paintings are likely not meaningful to a tribe of African bushmen, but they are meaningful to many who grew up in the United States.

·   Art preserves our memory – even before language, humans recorded their stories and events through art, creating a shared culture and a collective means of memory.

·   Art helps us teach. We use art to show someone else a concept, as a way of helping them to understand. We use art to communicate feelings and history in a way that words and stories can’t quite capture.

• 1888 - George Eastman markets the Kodak camera

George Eastman has been working on the art of photography for much of his life, attempting to make the process simpler and more accessible for people.  He trademarked the name ‘Kodak’ in 1888 and began selling a camera with paper film. Eastman created the first amateur photographers, revolutionizing the world and the way we capture memories.

• 1889 - Hull House opens in Chicago

Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr opened a settlement house to provide social services to poor immigrants. The Hull House originally opened as a kindergarten, but soon included a daycare nursery and infant care center. Eventually, the House provided educational facilities for secondary and college-level classes, as well as evening classes on civil rights and civic duties.

• 1903 - The Wright Brothers make the first sustained, powered flight

The Wright brothers completed their first sustained flight in a heavier-than-air, powered aircraft. Along with other aviators across the globe, this development would pave the way for a dramatic shift in human history. The innovations and achievements that led to this feat are truly amazing, but unfortunately, we don’t have the time or page space to devote to that fascinating history here.

• 1909 - NAACP Founded

A wave of race riots and the increasing pressures of segregation prompted prominent Black citizens to form a more permanent civil rights organization. Increased lynchings and the reporting done by journalists like Ida B. WellsW.E.B. Du Bois and other leaders formed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. To read more about this history, click here: https://naacp.org/about/our-history

• 1914 - Archduke Francis Ferdinand assassinated

Austria-Hungary had annexed Bosnia, so Archduke Ferdinand and his wife toured the capital of Sarajevo. His assassination by a Serbian nationalist infuriated Austria-Hungary, who declared war on Serbia with Germany’s support. Germany then declared war on Russia, Serbia’s ally. Germany invaded France via Belgium, which then prompted Britain to declare war on Germany.

• April 6, 1917 - United States declares war on Germany

Though the United States attempted to avoid becoming embroiled in the conflict ‘over there’, it became impossible. American combat forces arrived in France by June of that year. 

Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, and Marie Dressler tour the U.S. to support America’s involvement in the war. Demand for motion pictures increases as Americans seek an escape to wartime news. 

• 1929 - Stock Market Crash

Known as ‘Black Tuesday’, on October 29, 1929, investors traded some 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange and billions of dollars were lost. Thousands of investors were wiped out and the United States, as well as the rest of the industrialized world plunged toward the Great Depression, the longest-lasting economic downturn up to that point in the Western world. To read more about the crash, its causes, and the aftermath, click here: https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/1929-stock-market-crash

September 1, 1939 - World War II begins

Germany invaded Poland, prompting Poland’s allies, Great Britain and France, to declare war on Germany. For a more comprehensive look at the beginnings of World War II, check out this 7 minute video here: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/rise-to-world-power/us-wwii/v/beginning-of-world-war-ii

• 1946 - The first Levittown is constructed

Entrepreneur William J. Levitt envisioned a large-scale housing project, built using assembly line techniques to maximize efficiency. On a thousand acres on Long Island, Levitt built 17,000 homes to accommodate approximately 82,000 people. He produced many more ‘Levittowns’ as a model for suburban planning. But not everyone was welcome in these new suburban dream communities; the lease itself stipulated that the premises would not be occupied “by any person other than members of the Caucasian race”. 

• April 4, 1949 - North Atlantic Treaty is signed

By joining NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), the U.S. was finally committed to an international alliance in peacetime. Belonging to NATO has shaped foreign policy, politics, military structure, and a national ethos for decades. 

• 1950 - The FCC approves the first color television standard

Television innovation picked up after the end of WWII, leading to the first color television standard being approved. But the color standard required a large converter wheel and it was incompatible with existing systems. The FCC required TV makers to produce sets that could receive both black and white and color signals, which prompted RCA, a leading TV manufacturer, to sue in federal court. The Supreme Court upheld the decision and color TVs became the point of TV competition. 

That’s where our timeline leaves us for the week!

To read more about this period, here are some great books to get you started: 

For kids: 

For Adults: 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Federation-of-Labor-Congress-of-Industrial-Organizations

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hull-House

https://connecticuthistory.org/ida-tarbell-the-woman-who-took-on-standard-oil/

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/lilienthal-glider/nasm_A19060001000

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/across-the-english-channel-in-a-balloon