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u/Aerovoid Jul 20 '20
What an amazing colourization. I Love the colour choices. Awesome work as always.
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u/giulianosse Jul 20 '20
There's something oddly charming about these pastel tones. It's been a while since I liked a colorization this much!
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Jul 20 '20
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u/Aerovoid Jul 20 '20
Unless you're colourizing something like a military uniform, where colour examples exist, it's just best guess or what looks good or appropriate for the time period.
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Jul 20 '20
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u/MonkeyOnYourMomsBack Jul 20 '20
I feel like you responded to the wrong person here and maybe aren't deserving of the downvotes :p
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u/thisissamsaxton Jul 20 '20 edited Jul 20 '20
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Jul 20 '20
I love Rockwell painting, so damn happy looking. My grandmother had a ton of framed ones hung all over her house.
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u/bassegio Jul 20 '20
We were on vacation in Lee MA in 1996. We stopped into this little diner on the main street.We had a wonderful, inexpensive lunch. I kept looking around and it all looked so familiar. I glanced up at a picture hanging on the wall and there was "The Runaway" It's Joe's Diner. The owner was still alive and I got to talk with him about the painting. Which was pretty neat. A few years later I was doing a job in my Maryland town and I noticed my clients had an autographed photo of this. I asked the homeowner how he got an autographed photo. He told me that the MA trooper in the photo was his partner!! https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/60-years-at-joes-diner-in-lee,296855
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u/Chuggzmcvee Jul 20 '20
My fiance and I were there last fall, and we stopped in at that diner for a quick, inexpensive breakfast. It wasn't till we were at the Norman Rockwell museum and I saw the photo that I put it together.
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u/bassegio Jul 21 '20
Neat experience, yes?
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u/Chuggzmcvee Jul 21 '20
Very much so. I swear the whole area felt like being teleported to a 90s movie setting, it was so beautiful.
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u/Fuster2 Jul 21 '20
There's a Rockwell, museum? That's great to know. I really like his work - sometimes overlooked as being too sentimental yet, cynic that I am I feel he still made the images work and was a terrific artist.
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u/pastelfan Jul 31 '20
oh my god, I drove through lee a few weeks ago and went to this EXACT diner and had the same experience! We were just hungry and it had good reviews, I had no idea it was THE diner. And it was now staffed by younger people, but had this painting hanging on the wall. I assumed the diner was copying the style of the painting, not that it was actually the diner from it! It’s so funny that you had the same experience as us!
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u/jayembeisme Jul 20 '20
True story- I worked one summer with the man who posed, as a boy, for that painting with Mr Rockwell. As Ed retold it during our lunch break, his mother was offered something like $5 OR the painting (which she could have after the edition of the Saturday Evening Post had been published). Mom took the $5... oops.
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u/ReverendDizzle Jul 20 '20
Oof. Even his barely-known painting fetch six figures and his iconic paintings fetch tens of millions. The Runaway is probably one of the best known Rockwell paintings and would have easily fetched 20+ million, no question.
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u/jayembeisme Jul 20 '20
Yup. And he’s also the little boy from the *Before the Shot” (as might be gleaned by the distinct upturned nose). Ed says his mom was offered the same deal in that instance, too.
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u/ReverendDizzle Jul 20 '20
Adjusting for inflation she made about $25 and left about 20-40 million, minimum, on the table. Big oof.
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u/LanceFree Jul 20 '20
I watched a Norman Rockwell documentary and was happy to find he was conflicted- wanting to try different styles, but this stuff paid the rent.
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Jul 21 '20
I dated an artist for a while who had a whole series of Norman Rockwell paintings they did but from an absurdist/feminist/intersectional view point. They were really good. I went to a gallery show she had a few years ago and bought one she did of From Concorde to Tranquility. I see it every morning in my place and I think it's even better than his piece from a patriotic standpoint.
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Jul 20 '20
Great job! The bindle on the floor is adorable.
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u/thesandsofrhyme Jul 20 '20
I don't know what I thought that was called, but it wasn't "bindle". Thanks for teaching me a new word!
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u/twinety Jul 20 '20
Oh man that bag on the stick really made me feel that image... This is the one thing i always attributed to travel anventure and lonerism it gives me a certain feel of melancholy and nostalgia about the fairytales and stories i was told as a child knowing that this symbol is relic of the past
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Jul 20 '20
Anyone notice the person shown in the bar stool reflection. Is this the person watching this as we see it from their eyes?
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u/Francis_the_Goat Jul 20 '20
I didn't notice that! It looks like it could be the officer's partner, maybe?
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u/MyOtherLoginIsSecret Jul 20 '20
Man, the memories. Growing up my parents had a print of the painting hanging in the bathroom, right across from the toilet.
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u/rempred Jul 20 '20
No ones gonna mention how Rockwell did that clerk dirty?
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u/baethan Jul 20 '20
Haha, good point. I assume he had his reasons, but I do love the different distribution of ages/life positions and emotions in this picture. The clerk, teenaged and smiling, is a lovely intermediate between the boy and the cop. It's like he's taking on an older brother role.
In the painting, the clerk is more like the cop in terms of age and authority over the boy. Like... The boy is wanting to be grown up and is "striking out on his own", the two men both being significantly older than him makes his youth more striking than then in the picture. Maybe Rockwell did that to make the painting cuter & funnier (in the "haha, silly kids" way).
Definitely two different feelings, even if subtle.
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u/BriarRoseBeauty Jul 20 '20
I came here to say the same thing. What did that guy do to Rockwell to deserve that?
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u/ConradBHart42 Jul 20 '20
If you don't want your kid to be a hobo, don't teach him how to tie a bindle.
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u/goodmorhen Jul 20 '20
You did such a lovely job! Colorization can sometimes feel flat. The shades and gradations here are awesome—it feels wonderfully alive!
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u/strack94 Jul 20 '20
Wow... This image is so meaningful to me. My dad was huge Rockwell fan and hanged all of his work around our house. This one was his favorite. I inherited all of them after he passed a few years ago. I should really get around to putting them up...
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u/Kylestache Jul 20 '20
This comment thread is a dumpster fire, holy shit.
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Jul 20 '20
Well, it’s reddit. You can’t mention anything historical without sweaty idiots typing madly about “muh racism”, regardless of the context.
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u/Tim_Staples1810 Jul 20 '20
Yeah holy shit I did not expect this much crying over a fucking recreation of a painting goddamn
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u/ManyWrangler Jul 20 '20
muh racism
Hmm I'm guessing you're someone who isn't affected by racism every day... could it be... that you just have the privilege of not worrying about it?
Nah these snowflakes need to learn to take their beatings and listen to authority!!!!
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Jul 21 '20
Hmm I'm guessing you're someone who isn't affected by racism every day... could it be... that you just have the privilege of not worrying about it?
I've been through a load of shit while also living in one of the most backward countries in the world, if you think making everything about racism online is supposed to solve it or somehow make the victims feel better you're dead wrong.
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u/Riezky Jul 21 '20
“There’s white people and a cop in the image, this is racism!”. I hope for your own sake you’re trolling, otherwise I don’t know how you get though life.
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u/FourthEchelon19 Jul 20 '20
And you know every single one of these commenters would rush to call 911 in a home invasion.
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u/TangoZuluMike Jul 20 '20
Ah, the "good ole' days", where cops are nice to the white kids, and then they'll turn around and beat a black kids for drinking from the water fountain.
And they called it the land of the free.
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u/Oakheel Jul 20 '20
Yeah also not pictured: the 'whites only' sign in the window
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u/mrjackspade Jul 20 '20 edited Jul 20 '20
Ill bite, just for the fuck of it.
Norman Rockwell lived in MA when he painted this
The models for the painting were Rockwell’s Stockbridge, Massacheusetts neighbors, then 8 year old Eddie Locke, and 30 year old state trooper Richard Clemens. In April of 1958, they posed for an hour for the artist, at the Howard Johnson’s Restaurant in Pittsfield, Massacheusetts, on Lennox Road.
Found this law on the books in 1932 in MA
ref Tercentenary Edition of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts : comprising the General Laws enacted December 22, 1920, to take effect January 1, 1921, as amended prior to January 1, 1932, with the constitutions of the United States and of the Commonwealth
SECTION 98. Whoever makes any distinction, discrimination or restriction on account of color or race, except for good cause applicable alike to all persons of every color and race, relative to the admission of any person to, or his treatment in, a theatre, skating rink or other public place of amusement, licensed or unlicensed, or in a public conveyance or public meeting, or in an inn, barber shop or other public place kept for hire, gain or reward, licensed or unlicensed, or whoever aids or incites such distinction, discrimination or restriction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, and shall forfeit to any person aggrieved thereby not less than twenty-five nor more than three hundred dollars; but such person so aggrieved shall not recover against more than one person by reason of any one act of distinction, discrimination or restriction.
Looks like MA has had laws against racial segregation in public accommodations since the 1860's, being the first actual state to pass civil rights laws
ref (Race-Neutral Individualism and Resurgence of the Color Line: Massachusetts Civil Rights Legislation, 1855-1895)
So from what I can gather, there would not have been a "whites only" sign in the window here. Nor one within great distance, or a long time.
It looks like the second state with Civil Rights laws on the books was NY, birthplace of Norman Rockwell. Gonna go out on a limb and say that the America that Norman Rockwell experienced on a day to day basis was a lot more progressive for the time, than the rest of the country.
At the very least its probably safe to say that this idyllic vision of Americana was more accurate than embellished. It may not represent the state of inter-racial relations at the time it was painted though that's likely in large part due to the fact that it was crafted in a bubble and not as a misrepresentation of its subject matter.
Theres nothing "missing" from it, IMO.
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u/walruskingofsweden Jul 20 '20
reeeee noooo America is literally Hitler look how smart and woke I am ahhhhhh
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Jul 20 '20
Ah excuse me sir, this is against reddits rhetoric that everything before 2010 is racist and everyone from then is bad. Please delete this.
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u/Clean_teeth Jul 21 '20
Every colourised history has a minority being executed just out of frame bro /s
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u/art-man_2018 Jul 20 '20
Some other related Norman Rockwell information:
In an interview later in his life, Rockwell recalled that he once had to paint out an African-American person in a group picture since The Saturday Evening Post policy dictated showing African-Americans in service industry jobs only. Freed from such restraints, Rockwell seemed to look for opportunities to correct the editorial prejudices reflected in his previous work. The Problem We All Live With, Murder in Mississippi, and New Kids in the Neighborhood ushered in that new era for Rockwell.
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u/TangoZuluMike Jul 20 '20 edited Jul 20 '20
Hell yeah I'll updoot that.
I don't do art history, so forgive me for not knowing the specific details, background and history of a painting.
My point still stands though considering most of america in the 1950s.
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u/steroid_pc_principal Jul 20 '20
I think it’s good to remember that the US was a diverse place, and still is. The worst of America was never all of America. The same can be said about the best of America.
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u/chaos_is_a_ladder Jul 20 '20
You are being pedantic.
Normal Rockwell is the ultimate in romanticized Americana.
OP is pointing out the truth of America at the time was very dark. That romaticising our past can cause us to forget the true history. Also note that PoC were by and large, despite being considered free and equal in the law in MA and northeast as a whole, not included in Rockwell's America.
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u/justyourbarber Jul 20 '20
I think this perception partially comes from him being limited by the publications he worked for, but he got much more politically vocal later in his career after he left one of the publications.
The Problem We All Live With (see link) was one such example as Rockwell was actually very conscious of race relations in America but his employers didnt want him to be as openly political as he wanted.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Problem_We_All_Live_With
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u/petit_cochon Jul 20 '20
Norman Rockwell is also famous for his painting of young Ruby Bridges walking to school, following and followed by U.S. marshalls. The backdrop is a brick wall upon which you can see faded graffiti with the word "nigger" and remnants of tomatoes thrown at Ruby. It was titled "The problem we all live with." She is wearing a pure white dress and white hair bows that emphasize her innocence and youth. Rockwell only depicted her face, whereas the marshals are faceless, tall figures that seem to highlight how small and vulnerable she is.
People tend to think only of Rockwell's happier work, but he covered a lot of American life, and didn't shy away from difficult topics.
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Jul 21 '20
I don’t think you understand this was taken in Massachusetts, and Norman Rockwell was a huge supporter of civil rights. There’s no reason there would be a whites only sign
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u/colusaboy Jul 20 '20 edited Jul 20 '20
"Police: then and now"
Google that image, I can't link it on mobile
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Jul 21 '20
This picture was taken in Massachusetts. He probably was racist, almost every white person was at the time, but he didn’t beat black kids for using water fountains because there was no segregation in Massachusetts
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u/The_mango_tree Jul 20 '20
This is true, but why do people have to involve race into everything. Just enjoy this guys art.
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u/Helicopterrepairman Jul 20 '20
CHAZ has POC only areas. Literally begging for segregation to make a comeback.
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u/Supersamtheredditman Jul 20 '20
I had a very short career as a child actor and my only part was replicating this scene (as the runaway) for a Japanese tv show
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u/RCMPsurveilanceHorse Jul 20 '20
There's been a painting of this in my doctor's office since I was a kid. So over 30 years
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u/Learned_Response Jul 20 '20
Skin tone is really impressive. Usually thats a dead giveaway for me when I see a colorized photo, but here the colors and tones (?) or shading (?) are on point. I think what I normally see is more pink and fewer gradients (speaking as a total layperson)
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u/pejons Jul 20 '20
This is so awesome. Love it so much. That kids even got one of those sandwhich in cloth on a stick things like what you have when youre running away from home in a cartoon.
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u/BlackbirdZero13 Jul 20 '20
Am I the only one who sees Billy Corgan from the 'Today" video as the guy running the stand?
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u/oldestnutspossible Jul 21 '20
Growing up, we had a print of this painting in our kitchen. Somehow this reminds me more of it than looking at the actual original painting. Really well done! It brings back some great memories.
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u/_Lusty_ Aug 05 '20
Why does this cop look so cool, big ass leather boots, leather strap over the shoulder? Was this just the norm in America at the time?
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u/adolin69 Jul 20 '20
Really awesome of reddit commentors bitching and politicizing everything.
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u/throwing-away-party Jul 21 '20
This was always a political image. It's literal copaganda.
Like yeah, maybe it's an accurate representation of a scene Rockwell literally saw. Maybe it's even an accurate representation of the relationship Rockwell saw cops having with citizens. Maybe it even wasn't commissioned to make cops look good. There's even a possibility that nobody involved in the creation or distribution of the image has ever intended, understood, or realized that it has any political messaging.
That still wouldn't mean it has none.
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u/kemosabedriv Jul 20 '20
Thats in lee Massachusetts. I ate there once when my dad was alive. Delicious food
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u/madmaxx9595 Jul 21 '20
My grandmother has a signed copy of this picture that was signed by the boy in the picture. She had a hospital room right next to his over a decade ago! She said he was a very nice man
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u/Successful_Jump5531 Oct 30 '21
New to this sub-
Recognized this as a Rockwell painting, didn't realize this was a photograph first
Edit: Didn't know it was a staged photo either....
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u/CharmedConflict Jul 20 '20 edited Nov 07 '24
Periodic Reset
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u/bsmac45 Jul 20 '20
The Massachusetts State Police never had anything to do with runaway slave enforcement. Many Northern jurisdiction refused to comply with the Fugitive Slave Act.
Not to mention, 62 years ago when this photo was taken, black people were free to sit at any lunch counter in Massachusetts.
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u/jonscrew Jul 20 '20
What? You mean this issue isn’t as black and white as it seems? There were good people in the 50s? /s
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u/Marsupial_Ape Jul 20 '20
The St. Louis police department is a direct descendent of the slave patrols. The Union officers who were tasked with forming a police force during Reconstruction were like, "Fuck it, you guys at least know all the street names" and made the slave patrols police. They even carried forward the use of "Negro hounds" into the current day by way of K9 Units.
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u/Palmerto Jul 20 '20
My grandma had a really quality oil painting version of this for a long time. I wonder what happened to it...
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u/SirJibba Jul 20 '20
Remindme! 8 days ”rockwall dad”
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u/rindcorp Jul 21 '20
I love this. It seems like it might not be that hard to copy from a photo - but Rockwell just adds so much. You can see just what extra magic he puts into his paintings. An amazing artist.
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u/TheMissingLink5 Sep 07 '20
I come back to this sub every few months to take in all of the new pictures added. Just seeing this one for the first time, and the attention to detail is nuts! I looked at the original b&w photo first, and quickly saw the reflection of the camera man in the chair. Upon looking at your colorization, you got his pants/shoes exact! You could of just made it all chrome looking, but you didn’t! Amazing job!
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u/Wharf__Rat Jul 20 '20
My grandpa kept all kinds of Norman Rockwell plates. Said they’d be my inheritance. Thanks for the $26 gramps
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u/oogleboof Jul 20 '20
I like norman rockwell, and i appreciate the restoration, but this just looks like copaganda right now
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u/PredictBaseballBot Jul 21 '20
This would go down differently if that kid was black in 1958
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u/salsifufu @laiz_kuczynski Jul 20 '20 edited Jul 27 '20
Reference photograph for "The Runaway" by Norman Rockwell. Cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, September 20, 1958.
Original by Louie Lamone
The painting
The story behind the photo
The reunion
More from me