Freedom from Fear (Norman Rockwell) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Freedom from Fear |
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Freedom from Fear
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| Artist | Norman Rockwell |
| Year | 1943 |
| Type | Oil painting |
| Medium | Canvas |
| Dimensions | 116,2 cm × 90 cm (457 in × 35 in); 147 cm diameter (58 in) |
| Location | Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, Massachusetts |
Freedom from Fear is a famous painting by Norman Rockwell. It is one of four paintings in his special series called the Four Freedoms. Rockwell got the idea for these paintings after hearing a speech by American President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This speech, given on January 6, 1941, talked about important freedoms everyone should have.
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About the Painting
This painting was first shown to the public in a popular magazine called The Saturday Evening Post. It appeared on March 13, 1943. An essay by Stephen Vincent Benét was published alongside it. The other paintings in the Four Freedoms series are Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, and Freedom from Want. Each of these was featured in different issues of the magazine.
What the Painting Shows
The painting shows a peaceful scene inside a home. You can see children sleeping soundly in their beds. Their mother is gently tucking them in. The father sits nearby, reading a newspaper. The newspaper headlines mention scary news about the war, like "Bombings Kill... Horrors Hit...". But the children in the painting are safe and calm. They are free from the fear of these terrible events happening far away. Rockwell used his own Vermont neighbors as models for the people in his paintings.
How the Painting Was Created
Interestingly, this painting was not first made for the Four Freedoms series. Rockwell had painted it earlier to show the Battle of Britain from 1940. This was a time when cities in Europe were being bombed. However, Rockwell did not want this painting to be published at first. He felt it was wrong to show American children sleeping safely while children in Europe faced danger. He later decided to use it for the "Freedom from Fear" idea.
Helping the War Effort
The Four Freedoms paintings, including Freedom from Fear, went on a special tour across the United States. The tour's message was "Buy War Bonds". War bonds were like loans people made to the government to help pay for World War II. Many people saw the paintings during this tour. About 1.2 million Americans viewed them. This tour helped collect a lot of money, about 132 million dollars, for the war effort.
Where to See It Today
Today, you can find the painting Freedom from Fear at the Norman Rockwell Museum. This museum is located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
