1943 February 20

Saturday Evening Post Publishes Iconic Norman Rockwell Illustration: “Freedom of Speech”

 

Following President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous Four Freedoms speech on January 6, 1941, the Saturday Evening Post magazine commissioned the popular artist Norman Rockwell to paint four images based on each of the four freedoms: “Freedom of Speech,” “Freedom From Want,” “Freedom of Worship,” and “Freedom From Fear.”

Each one was then published in the magazine. The first of the images, “Freedom of Speech,” which has become the most iconic of the four, was published on this day. The images “Freedom From Want” is a close second in terms of iconic status.

Roosevelt’s speech is now honored through Four Freedoms Park in New York City. The park opened on October 24, 2012.

Learn more about Rockwell’s illustration and FDR’s Four Freedoms Speech: http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/norman-rockwell-freedom-speechmdashknow-it-when-you-see-it

Visit the Norman Rockwell Museum: http://www.nrm.org/

Learn more: Stuart Murray, Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms (1993)

Watch a documentary on Norman Rockwell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6L2neYwOms

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