The Bookworm by Norman Rockwell

This charming and eccentric illustration belongs beautifully to the mid-century American genre painting and figurative realism movement. The artist Norman Rockwell draws with infinite tenderness the portrait of a reading enthusiast lost in his thoughts. The work, designated here under the title of “The Bookworm (Rockwell)”, captures the sweet madness and amusing distraction of a bibliophile facing a display of old books. This scene expresses the timeless passion for literature and vintage objects.

An elderly man dressed in a long forest green coat and a black bowler hat stands in profile. He holds an open red book very close to his face, illustrating his nearsightedness or his pleasure in smelling old paper. A beige umbrella is suspended from his left arm, while a blue book sticks out of his pocket. Amusingly, he wears a black shoe on his left foot and a brown shoe on his right foot. Behind him, a wooden bookstall with turquoise-blue legs is packed with piled volumes. At his feet rests a wicker basket containing a grocery bag bearing the handwritten inscription Loaf of bread, cold meats and cheese.

The painter delivers here a lesson in visual humor through subtle details such as the mismatched shoes and the absorbed attitude of the character. His pictorial technique allows him to wonderfully restore the patina of old books and the textures of wicker. This mastery of storytelling through objects testifies to a consummate art of illustration.