Stained Glass Window by Norman Rockwell

April 16, 1960 Issue of The Saturday Evening Post

Stained Glass Window, a Norman Rockwell painting , appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post published April 16, 1960. This is another timeless favorite of Rockwell collectors, a classic for all the ages.

This painting was Rockwell's 309th overall out of 322 total paintings that were published on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. Rockwell's career with the Post, spanning 47 years, began with his first cover illustration, Boy With Baby Carriage in 1916 and continued through his last, Portrait of John F. Kennedy, in 1963.

This was also the second cover for The Post in 1960. In 1960, there were six Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post covers published.

The original oil on canvas painting, 46 x 43 inches or 117 x 109 cm, is part of a private collection.

This painting also appears in four Rockwell commentary books. It appears:

• on pages 410 and 443 of Norman Rockwell 332 Magazine Covers by Christopher Finch,
• on page 177 of The Norman Rockwell Album,
• as illustration 568 of Norman Rockwell: Artist and Illustrator by Thomas Buechner and
• on page 226 of Norman Rockwell, A Definitive Catalogue by Laurie Norton Moffatt.

Pristine original copies of this magazine cover bring good prices on eBay, when it is available. And to think it only cost fifteen cents originally! And it was mint condition then, too.

Stained Glass Window

Norman Rockwell first witnessed this scene during a trip to London. In Westminister Abbey, Rockwell saw a workman high on a scaffold working to repair one of the beautiful windows.

In 1960, when Rockwell decided to bring that memory to life, he experienced difficulty capturing the luminosity of the stained glass window. Several efforts failed to render the desired translucence.

It was time to contact an expert.

Rockwell asked for the advice and guidance of stained glass experts Rowan and Irene LeCompte.

The LeComptes brought Rockwell plans for a window that they had designed. That window is located at the National City Christian Church in Washington, DC.

The workman in this scene is portrayed by Rowan LeCompte. He is seen repairing a window similar to that window plan that he submitted for the painting.

I received the following correspondence from a member of Mr. LeCompte's family:

He was friends with Norman. They had both lost their wives around the same time.

He was a great man too. First commissioned by the Cathedral to do stained glass windows at the age of 16, he quit before his first window was even completed to join the Army in WWII and subsequently made the invasion at Normandy on D-Day.

He was a great master stained glass window artist who loved everyone and loved the work he produced.

The scene in the window is the Resurrection, a fitting composition for the 1960 Easter edition of The Post. Easter was on Sunday April 17 in 1960..

The original scene showed the angels lifting Christ into the heavens, but Rockwell opted to substitute the Cross into the picture instead.

Rockwell was finally able to capture the translucent radiance of the window thanks to his attention to detail and his experts.

Norman Rockwell's Stained Glass Window (1960)
(Image Only) Copyright © 1960 Saturday Evening Post & Curtis Publishing Company