REMEMBER: NORMAN ROCKWELL OF HARLEM

Harlem Bespoke: Below is our original story published in 2015 on one of the more famous Thanksgiving images and how the artist was originally from Harlem.  The row of townhouses shown has since been renovated.   Happy Thanksgiving to all!

One of the most iconic images of Thanksgiving was created by illustrator Norman Rockwell in November of 1942 for the Saturday Evening Post.  This painting titled Freedom of Want is still rather widely recognized today but many do not know that the artist is actually from Harlem.  Number 789 St. Nicholas Avenue was the childhood home of Mr. Rockwell located on Sugar Hill just north of 149th Street and still stands today. We walked by this section of Hamilton Heights and took a snapshot of the landmark block and the house at the far right of the above photo is the actual address.   This row of stooped residences could use a good polish along with a restoration of the missing architectural elements and maybe one day a plaque will be made to commemorate the historic significance.

HarlemBespoke.com 2020