Willie Gillis
Encyclopedia
Willie Gillis, Jr. is a fictional character created by Norman Rockwell
for a series of World War II
paintings that appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post
(henceforth Post). A fictional private
, he appeared on a total of eleven Post covers. Gillis was a fictional everyman
whose career was tracked on the cover of the Post from induction through discharge without being depicted in battle
. Gillis and his fictional girlfriend were artistic depictions of some of Rockwell's real-life acquaintances who served as his models
.
Although Gillis was not exclusively used on Post covers, the Willie Gillis series of covers was a hallmark of Rockwell's wartime work. In Rockwell's prime and at the peak of its popularity, The Post had a subscribership of 4 million, and many of these subscribers believed Gillis was a real person. Rockwell's wartime art, including Willie Gillis, the Four Freedoms
and Rosie the Riveter
, contributed to the success of the wartime bond
sales efforts.
Since 1999, the Gillis series has been included in two major Rockwell tours. From 1999–2002 it toured as part of a Rockwell Post cover art
retrospective. From 2006–2010 it is touring as part of a 1940's World War II Rockwell art exhibition.
Memorial cover on December 16, 1963, Rockwell created 321 magazine covers
for The Post, which was the most popular American magazine of the first half of the 20th century with a subscribership that reached a peak of 4 million. Rockwell illustrated American life
during World War I
and World War II in 34 of his cover illustrations, and he illustrated 33 Post covers in total during World War II. Some of the war art involved American life. During much of the first half of the 1940s, Rockwell's cover illustrations focused on the human side of the war. Rockwell encouraged support of the war efforts during World War II via his covers which endorsed war bond
s, encouraged women to work, and encouraged men to enlist in the service. His World War II illustrations used themes of patriotism, longing, shifting gender roles, reunion, love, work, community and family during wartime to promote the war. In his role as a magazine illustrator during times of war, Rockwell draws comparisons to Winslow Homer
, an American Civil War
illustrator for Harper's Weekly
. Rockwell's artistic expressions were said to have helped the adoption of the goal of the Four Freedoms
as set forth by United States President Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union Address
. His painting series, the Four Freedoms
, toured in a war bond effort that raised $
132 million.
Willis Gillis was a fictional freckle
-faced All-American character who served as one of Rockwell's main coverboys during World War II. The Gillis character is widely referred to as an everyman who epitomized the typical American World War II Soldier. Rockwell created Gillis in 1940 as the European Theatre of World War II
was escalating and Americans were enlisting or being drafted under the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940
in the armed forces. Rockwell credits the name Willie Gillis to his wife, who derived it from an old children's book, Wee Willie Winkie
. Rockwell described Gillis as "an inoffensive, ordinary little guy thrown into the chaos of war." The public identified with Rockwell's portrayal of the "little guy" living up to a sense of duty in this time of war. Gillis was truly seen as the typical G.I., and Rockwell's wartime art remains quite popular: his signed original May 29, 1943 depiction of Rosie the Riveter
sold at a Sotheby's
auction on May 22, 2002 for $4,959,500. Some of the Willie Gillis paintings and the Rosie the Riveter painting were raffle
d off during the United States Department of the Treasury
's Second War Loan Drive, which ran from April 12 – May 1, 1943. The Gillis character endures generations later for literary and artistic comparison.
. Ten subsequent covers depicted Gillis in a variety of roles: at church in uniform, holding his hat on his lap; soldier on K.P. duty; the son carrying on the family tradition of military service; a still life of Gillis' family photographs; and two fighting mad girls, holding pictures of Gillis that he'd sent each of them from the war zone. Gillis matured over the course of the series until he was almost unrecognizable in the final work. Rockwell created a good ending for the series by depicting Gillis relaxing while studying at college on the G.I. Bill: "We know that things ended well for Gillis, though; his final cover in 1946 showed the young man stretched in a windowsill smoking a pipe and wearing penny loafers, studying at Middlebury College."
To some, the fourth piece – Willie Gillis: Hometown News – was the one that cemented Willie Gillis' place in American history, because families identified with Gillis. The sixth piece, Willie Gillis in Church, is the earliest of his works with significant religious themes. This final component of the series, Willie Gillis in College, engenders much critical review because it is perceived to represent a transformation of character. It is owned by the Washington Mutual
Bank of Seattle. In 2000, they loaned it to the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. It is a study in contrast of mood and style from the wartime components of the series. Throughout the cover series Gillis was never pictured in battle or in any sort of danger, armed or with armed foes because Rockwell felt those portrayals were better exhibited by newsreel
s and photograph
s.
Rockwell produced at least one depiction of Gillis that was not on the cover. The painting Willie Gillis in a Convoy was produced in 1943, depicting Gillis in the back of a covered military vehicle with his rifle in hand. Rockwell donated the painting to the Gardner High School
for the graduating class, where it hung in the principal's office until 2000. The school then loaned it to the Gardner Museum. A charcoal sketch
of the painting sold for $107,000 in 1999. There was concern that the painting was not hung in a secure location. In 2005, the painting was restored
and rehung at the high school.
. When the 15-year-old Buck met Rockwell to pose for the first time, Buck only stood 5 in 4 in (1.63 m) tall. At that time, Buck had a lock of hair that use to drop down on his forehead. Rockwell met his model Buck at a square dance
in Arlington, Vermont. Rockwell had been seeking a model, and he kept observing Buck from different angles during the dance. Buck noticed Rockwell's stares and informed Rockwell that if he did not stop staring, Buck would knock him flat.
Buck had been exempted from the military draft, but he felt serving his country was his patriotic duty and enlisted as a Naval aviator
in 1943. Buck served in the South Seas during the war. Once Buck enlisted, Rockwell worked from memory and photographs to complete his illustrations, and sometimes he only worked Gillis into the background via a photograph on the wall. Rockwell was going to discontinue the series, but Post editors objected because his character was too popular. The public enjoyed closely scrutinizing Gillis' affairs. Gillis was so popular that at one point, the Post was receiving hundreds of letter inquiring about the tribulations of the character who was perceived by many as real, and concern for the private was particularly high among families named Gillis.
Although Buck had departed, the model who portrayed Gillis' fictional girlfriend (fellow Post illustrator Mead Schaeffer's daughter) remained available, so Rockwell painted her faithfully sleeping at midnight on New Year's Eve
with photos of Willie Gillis in the background above her bed in Willie Gillis: New Year's Eve. The subsequent 11 inches (279.4 mm) × 14 inches (355.6 mm) Willie Gillis cover, Willie Gillis: Generations, depicting the Gillis military family in pictures above a bookshelf of Gillis war books, generated hundreds of letters from Gillises, many of whom wanted to buy the imaginary books.
series film Norman Rockwell: Painting America. The film coincided with the first comprehensive Rockwell touring exhibition, entitled Norman Rockwell: Pictures for the American People, which was a seven-city tour. The High Museum of Art
and the Norman Rockwell Museum
produced the exhibition that started at the High Museum on November 6, 1999, stopped at the Chicago Historical Society, Corcoran Gallery of Art
, San Diego Museum of Art
, Phoenix Art Museum
, and Norman Rockwell Museum before concluding at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
on February 11, 2002. After the official tour ended, his post covers were on display at the Florida International Museum
from April 2002 until June 16, 2002. In September 2002, they were exhibited at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts
. During the first 16 days of the fair, through Saturday September 28, the attendance was 1,052,511. From 2006 through 2010 Gillis appeared along with the Four Freedoms and Rosie The Riveter in a travelling exhibition entitled Norman Rockwell in the 1940s: A View of the American Homefront. The 44-piece exhibition was organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum and made stops in places such as the Pensacola Museum of Art (April–July 2006), Rogers Historical Museum (June–August 2007), James A. Michener Art Museum
(October 19, 2007 – February 10, 2008) and National Museum of the Marine Corps
(September 28, 2009 – January 9, 2010).
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
for a series of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
paintings that appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
(henceforth Post). A fictional private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
, he appeared on a total of eleven Post covers. Gillis was a fictional everyman
Everyman
In literature and drama, the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual, with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances...
whose career was tracked on the cover of the Post from induction through discharge without being depicted in battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
. Gillis and his fictional girlfriend were artistic depictions of some of Rockwell's real-life acquaintances who served as his models
Model (art)
Art models are models who pose for photographers, painters, sculptors, and other artists as part of their work of art. Art models who pose in the nude for life drawing are usually called life models...
.
Although Gillis was not exclusively used on Post covers, the Willie Gillis series of covers was a hallmark of Rockwell's wartime work. In Rockwell's prime and at the peak of its popularity, The Post had a subscribership of 4 million, and many of these subscribers believed Gillis was a real person. Rockwell's wartime art, including Willie Gillis, the Four Freedoms
Four Freedoms (Norman Rockwell)
The Four Freedoms or Four Essential Human Freedoms is a series of oil paintings produced in 1943 by the American artist Norman Rockwell. The paintings are approximately equal in dimension with measurements of ×...
and Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom produced munitions and war supplies. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military...
, contributed to the success of the wartime bond
War bond
War bonds are debt securities issued by a government for the purpose of financing military operations during times of war. War bonds generate capital for the government and make civilians feel involved in their national militaries...
sales efforts.
Since 1999, the Gillis series has been included in two major Rockwell tours. From 1999–2002 it toured as part of a Rockwell Post cover art
Cover art
Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...
retrospective. From 2006–2010 it is touring as part of a 1940's World War II Rockwell art exhibition.
Background
From 1916 through his KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
Memorial cover on December 16, 1963, Rockwell created 321 magazine covers
Book cover
A book cover is any protective covering used to bind together the pages of a book. Beyond the familiar distinction between hardcovers and paperbacks, there are further alternatives and additions, such as dust jackets, ring-binding, and older forms such as the nineteenth-century "paper-boards" and...
for The Post, which was the most popular American magazine of the first half of the 20th century with a subscribership that reached a peak of 4 million. Rockwell illustrated American life
Culture of the United States
The Culture of the United States is a Western culture originally influenced by European cultures. It has been developing since long before the United States became a country with its own unique social and cultural characteristics such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, cuisine, and folklore...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II in 34 of his cover illustrations, and he illustrated 33 Post covers in total during World War II. Some of the war art involved American life. During much of the first half of the 1940s, Rockwell's cover illustrations focused on the human side of the war. Rockwell encouraged support of the war efforts during World War II via his covers which endorsed war bond
War bond
War bonds are debt securities issued by a government for the purpose of financing military operations during times of war. War bonds generate capital for the government and make civilians feel involved in their national militaries...
s, encouraged women to work, and encouraged men to enlist in the service. His World War II illustrations used themes of patriotism, longing, shifting gender roles, reunion, love, work, community and family during wartime to promote the war. In his role as a magazine illustrator during times of war, Rockwell draws comparisons to Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer was an American landscape painter and printmaker, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th century America and a preeminent figure in American art....
, an American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
illustrator for Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor...
. Rockwell's artistic expressions were said to have helped the adoption of the goal of the Four Freedoms
Four Freedoms
The Four Freedoms were goals articulated by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1941. In an address known as the Four Freedoms speech , he proposed four fundamental freedoms that people "everywhere in the world" ought to enjoy:# Freedom of speech and expression# Freedom of worship#...
as set forth by United States President Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union Address
State of the Union Address
The State of the Union is an annual address presented by the President of the United States to the United States Congress. The address not only reports on the condition of the nation but also allows the president to outline his legislative agenda and his national priorities.The practice arises...
. His painting series, the Four Freedoms
Four Freedoms (Norman Rockwell)
The Four Freedoms or Four Essential Human Freedoms is a series of oil paintings produced in 1943 by the American artist Norman Rockwell. The paintings are approximately equal in dimension with measurements of ×...
, toured in a war bond effort that raised $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
132 million.
Willis Gillis was a fictional freckle
Freckle
For other uses of the word, see Freckles .Freckles are clusters of concentrated melanin which are most often visible on people with a fair complexion. A freckle is also called an "ephelis". Freckles do not have an increased number of melanin producing cells...
-faced All-American character who served as one of Rockwell's main coverboys during World War II. The Gillis character is widely referred to as an everyman who epitomized the typical American World War II Soldier. Rockwell created Gillis in 1940 as the European Theatre of World War II
European Theatre of World War II
The European Theatre of World War II was a huge area of heavy fighting across Europe from Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 until the end of the war with the German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945...
was escalating and Americans were enlisting or being drafted under the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940
Selective Training and Service Act of 1940
The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, also known as the Burke-Wadsworth Act, was passed by the Congress of the United States on September 17, 1940, becoming the first peacetime conscription in United States history when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed it into law two days later...
in the armed forces. Rockwell credits the name Willie Gillis to his wife, who derived it from an old children's book, Wee Willie Winkie
Wee Willie Winkie
"Wee Willie Winkie" is a Scottish nursery rhyme, whose titular figure has become popular the world over as a personification of sleep. The poem, written by William Miller and titled "Willie Winkie", was first published in Whistle-binkie: Stories for the Fireside in 1841...
. Rockwell described Gillis as "an inoffensive, ordinary little guy thrown into the chaos of war." The public identified with Rockwell's portrayal of the "little guy" living up to a sense of duty in this time of war. Gillis was truly seen as the typical G.I., and Rockwell's wartime art remains quite popular: his signed original May 29, 1943 depiction of Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom produced munitions and war supplies. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military...
sold at a Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
auction on May 22, 2002 for $4,959,500. Some of the Willie Gillis paintings and the Rosie the Riveter painting were raffle
Raffle
A raffle is a competition in which people obtain numbered tickets, each ticket having the chance of winning a prize. At a set time, the winners are drawn from a container holding a copy of every number...
d off during the United States Department of the Treasury
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
's Second War Loan Drive, which ran from April 12 – May 1, 1943. The Gillis character endures generations later for literary and artistic comparison.
Post Illustrations
Series review
In Willie Gillis: Food Package, Gillis' 1941, he toted a care packageCARE Package
The CARE Package was the original unit of aid distributed by the humanitarian organization CARE...
. Ten subsequent covers depicted Gillis in a variety of roles: at church in uniform, holding his hat on his lap; soldier on K.P. duty; the son carrying on the family tradition of military service; a still life of Gillis' family photographs; and two fighting mad girls, holding pictures of Gillis that he'd sent each of them from the war zone. Gillis matured over the course of the series until he was almost unrecognizable in the final work. Rockwell created a good ending for the series by depicting Gillis relaxing while studying at college on the G.I. Bill: "We know that things ended well for Gillis, though; his final cover in 1946 showed the young man stretched in a windowsill smoking a pipe and wearing penny loafers, studying at Middlebury College."
To some, the fourth piece – Willie Gillis: Hometown News – was the one that cemented Willie Gillis' place in American history, because families identified with Gillis. The sixth piece, Willie Gillis in Church, is the earliest of his works with significant religious themes. This final component of the series, Willie Gillis in College, engenders much critical review because it is perceived to represent a transformation of character. It is owned by the Washington Mutual
Washington Mutual
Washington Mutual, Inc. , abbreviated to WaMu, was a savings bank holding company and the former owner of Washington Mutual Bank, which was the United States' largest savings and loan association until its collapse in 2008....
Bank of Seattle. In 2000, they loaned it to the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. It is a study in contrast of mood and style from the wartime components of the series. Throughout the cover series Gillis was never pictured in battle or in any sort of danger, armed or with armed foes because Rockwell felt those portrayals were better exhibited by newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
s and photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s.
Rockwell produced at least one depiction of Gillis that was not on the cover. The painting Willie Gillis in a Convoy was produced in 1943, depicting Gillis in the back of a covered military vehicle with his rifle in hand. Rockwell donated the painting to the Gardner High School
Gardner High School
Gardner High SchoolGardner High School is a public high school serving students in grades 9-12 in Gardner, Massachusetts. In 2007, the school enrolled 983 students. The principal is Andrew Haas. The assistant principals are Anthony Gansis and Mitchell Aho.The guidance department is made up of Mike...
for the graduating class, where it hung in the principal's office until 2000. The school then loaned it to the Gardner Museum. A charcoal sketch
Sketch (drawing)
A sketch is a rapidly executed freehand drawing that is not usually intended as a finished work...
of the painting sold for $107,000 in 1999. There was concern that the painting was not hung in a secure location. In 2005, the painting was restored
Art conservation and restoration
Conservation-restoration, also referred to as conservation, is a profession devoted to the preservation of cultural heritage for the future. Conservation activities include examination, documentation, treatment, and preventive care...
and rehung at the high school.
Models
Robert Otis "Bob" Buck served as Rockwell's model for Gillis and eventually enlisted for service in the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. When the 15-year-old Buck met Rockwell to pose for the first time, Buck only stood 5 in 4 in (1.63 m) tall. At that time, Buck had a lock of hair that use to drop down on his forehead. Rockwell met his model Buck at a square dance
Square dance
Square dance is a folk dance with four couples arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, beginning with Couple 1 facing away from the music and going counter-clockwise until getting to Couple 4. Couples 1 and 3 are known as the head couples, while Couples 2 and 4 are the side couples...
in Arlington, Vermont. Rockwell had been seeking a model, and he kept observing Buck from different angles during the dance. Buck noticed Rockwell's stares and informed Rockwell that if he did not stop staring, Buck would knock him flat.
Buck had been exempted from the military draft, but he felt serving his country was his patriotic duty and enlisted as a Naval aviator
Naval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies, including ships that embark fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. In contrast, maritime aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of non-naval forces such as the former RAF Coastal Command or a...
in 1943. Buck served in the South Seas during the war. Once Buck enlisted, Rockwell worked from memory and photographs to complete his illustrations, and sometimes he only worked Gillis into the background via a photograph on the wall. Rockwell was going to discontinue the series, but Post editors objected because his character was too popular. The public enjoyed closely scrutinizing Gillis' affairs. Gillis was so popular that at one point, the Post was receiving hundreds of letter inquiring about the tribulations of the character who was perceived by many as real, and concern for the private was particularly high among families named Gillis.
Although Buck had departed, the model who portrayed Gillis' fictional girlfriend (fellow Post illustrator Mead Schaeffer's daughter) remained available, so Rockwell painted her faithfully sleeping at midnight on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
with photos of Willie Gillis in the background above her bed in Willie Gillis: New Year's Eve. The subsequent 11 inches (279.4 mm) × 14 inches (355.6 mm) Willie Gillis cover, Willie Gillis: Generations, depicting the Gillis military family in pictures above a bookshelf of Gillis war books, generated hundreds of letters from Gillises, many of whom wanted to buy the imaginary books.
Modern references
The real-life model who posed for Gillis' girlfriend was included in the 90-minute PBS American MastersAmerican Masters
American Masters is a PBS television show which produces biographies on the artists, actors and writers of the United States who have left a profound impact on the nation's popular culture. It is produced by WNET in New York City...
series film Norman Rockwell: Painting America. The film coincided with the first comprehensive Rockwell touring exhibition, entitled Norman Rockwell: Pictures for the American People, which was a seven-city tour. The High Museum of Art
High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art , located in Atlanta, is the leading art museum in the Southeastern United States and one of the most-visited art museums in the world. Located on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district, the High is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center.-History:The Museum was...
and the Norman Rockwell Museum
Norman Rockwell Museum
The Norman Rockwell Museum is home to the world's largest collection of original Rockwell art.-History:Founded in 1969, the museum is located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where Rockwell lived the last 25 years of his life. The museum has been at its current location since 1993. The museum...
produced the exhibition that started at the High Museum on November 6, 1999, stopped at the Chicago Historical Society, Corcoran Gallery of Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
, San Diego Museum of Art
San Diego Museum of Art
The San Diego Museum of Art is a fine arts museum located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California that houses a broad collection with particular strength in Spanish art. The San Diego Museum of Art opened as The Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego on February 28, 1926, and changed its name to the San...
, Phoenix Art Museum
Phoenix art museum
The Phoenix Art Museum is the Southwest United States' largest art museum for visual art. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the museum is . It displays international exhibitions alongside its comprehensive collection of more than 18,000 works of American, Asian, European, Latin American, Western...
, and Norman Rockwell Museum before concluding at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
on February 11, 2002. After the official tour ended, his post covers were on display at the Florida International Museum
Florida International Museum
The Florida International Museum at St. Petersburg College was an art museum located at the Downtown Center location of St. Petersburg College at 244 Second Avenue N, St...
from April 2002 until June 16, 2002. In September 2002, they were exhibited at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Massachusetts
West Springfield, Massachusetts
The Town of West Springfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 28,391 at the 2010 census...
. During the first 16 days of the fair, through Saturday September 28, the attendance was 1,052,511. From 2006 through 2010 Gillis appeared along with the Four Freedoms and Rosie The Riveter in a travelling exhibition entitled Norman Rockwell in the 1940s: A View of the American Homefront. The 44-piece exhibition was organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum and made stops in places such as the Pensacola Museum of Art (April–July 2006), Rogers Historical Museum (June–August 2007), James A. Michener Art Museum
James A. Michener Art Museum
The James A. Michener Art Museum is a private, non-profit museum in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania founded in 1988 and named for the Pulitzer Prize–winning writer James A. Michener, a Doylestown resident...
(October 19, 2007 – February 10, 2008) and National Museum of the Marine Corps
National Museum of the Marine Corps
The National Museum of the Marine Corps is the historical museum of the United States Marine Corps. It is located in Quantico, Virginia and is open to the public with free admission. The museum had its grand opening on November 10, 2006 and is now the number one tourist attraction in Virginia,...
(September 28, 2009 – January 9, 2010).
Willie Gillis Series
Rockwell did not name his works, but many of them have one or two names by which they are known. The following are the eleven Willie Gillis Saturday Evening Post cover paintings:- October 4, 1941 - Willie Gillis: Food Package/Willie Gillis: Package From Home
- November 29, 1941 - Willie Gillis: Home Sweet Home/Willie Gillis: Home On Leave
- February 7, 1942 - Willie Gillis: USO
- April 11, 1942 - Willie Gillis: Hometown News/Willie Gillis: On K.P.
- June 27, 1942 - Willie Gillis: What To Do in a Blackout
- July 25, 1942 - Willie Gillis in Church
- September 5, 1942 - Willie Gillis: Girls with Letters/Double Trouble for Willie Gillis
- June 26, 1943 - Willie Gillis: Cat's Cradle/Willie's Rope Trick
- January 1, 1944 - Willie Gillis: New Year's Eve
- September 16, 1944- Willie Gillis: Gillis Heritage/Willie Gillis Generations
- October 5, 1946 - Willie Gillis in College