Most are familiar with the American artist Norman Rockwell, famous for his humanistic depictions of everyday American life. But many of the scenes that Rockwell portrayed were not just American — they were distinctly Vermont and featured real people from the Bennington County town of Arlington, where Rockwell lived for 14 years.
A number of these former models from works such as “The Young Lady with the Shiner” and “The Babysitter” gathered for a panel at the Shelburne Museum on Saturday, Sept. 26. They shared memories of working with the artist during their childhood, showing just how immersed Rockwell became in the community.
During the 14 years that he lived in Vermont, he was extremely productive, creating over 175 Saturday Evening Post covers and sourcing his inspiration from the community. His paintings featured local farmers, doctors, mail carriers and schoolchildren. Rockwell famously offered his models $5 and a cold Coca-Cola for their time.
“He believed deeply that using real people was essential for making his pictures feel authentic,” Carolyn Bauer, the curator of the museum’s Rockwell exhibit, told the audience. “Beneath the polished surfaces, are real people with names, families and stories.”
The afternoon event featured three key speakers who were former models for Rockwell: Mary Whalen from “The Young Lady with the Shiner,” Mindy Pelham from “The Babysitter,” and Don Trachte Jr. from many works including “Santa’s Visitors.”
The panel was part of a larger “Rockwell Day” event, where the museum hosted gallery tours and activities to celebrate the artist’s legacy. Titled “Norman Rockwell: At Home in Vermont,” the exhibit opened on June 20 and is on view until Oct. 25. It focuses on the years between 1939 and 1953 when Rockwell lived and worked in Arlington.
“We wanted to look beyond Rockwell simply as a painter of nostalgic American scenes and
instead consider place and ask where and what these illustrations depict, and perhaps who,” Bauer said. “The answer, in large part, is Arlington, Vermont.”
But Arlington wasn’t just a place of inspiration for Rockwell. It became home. He immersed himself in the community, attending square dances, speaking at local Parent Teacher Association meetings, and going to the Friday night basketball games. At one of those games, Rockwell met Whalen, the model for “The Young Lady with the Shiner.”
The painting is of a girl sitting outside the principal’s office, with a black eye and a huge grin. She is pleased with herself, and her two braids and school uniform look disheveled.
“I think I was in fourth grade,” Whalen, now 78, said. He offered her a Coke, spoke to her father, and said, “Would you like to pose for me?”
During the panel, Whalen shared how Rockwell always did his best to make her feel comfortable during the photo shoots, saying she could just call him “Norman.”
When posing for “The Young Lady with the Shiner,” Whalen recalled having trouble smiling for the photo.
“So, he finally got down on the floor on his hands and knees and started just being silly. And of course I had to laugh,” she said.. “And then finally we got it.”
“I think wherever he was, he was going to pick up the deep emotion of the people,” Whalen later told the Community News Service.
Mindy Pelham, daughter of artist and Rockwell studio assistant Gene Pelham, spoke as well. She posed as the baby for Rockwell’s famous painting “The Babysitter,” and shared stories of what it was like to grow up in a community so close to Rockwell.
Pelham recalled visiting a museum in Connecticut a few years ago and seeing a Rockwell exhibit. The paintings were full of people she grew up with.
“I’m pointing out all these different people,” she said. “‘Oh that’s Mike, oh that’s Mary.’ And the next thing I know I have a stream of people behind me listening from all over the world.”
“I’ve heard it said that everybody looked forward to the Saturday Evening Post, to see if they made the cut,” Pelham added. “Because you know, he used so many people you never knew who he was gonna choose.”
Trachte, model for “Santa’s Visitors” and other works, showed just how many, bringing with
him to the panel a list of the 211 people who modeled for Rockwell during his time in Arlington.
In addition to the three speakers were more than a dozen people in the audience who either modeled for Rockwell or had family members that modeled for him. One such person was Maya Boffa, who proudly held Rockwell’s famous Post cover “Election Day.” Ralph Clifford, her late father, was the model for the young man.
It seemed like everyone in the room had a connection to Rockwell, and a story to share about him.
“He wasn’t simply observing Vermont,” Bauer said. “He became a part of it.”