Norman Rockwell art that ignited a lawsuit and a love story is now on public view

Key Points:

• Norman Rockwell's 1943 illustration suite "So You Want to See The President!" originally appeared in The Saturday Evening Post and depicts a diverse group waiting to see President Franklin D. Roosevelt, emphasizing his accessibility during WWII.
• The artwork, commissioned by FDR's press secretary Stephen Early, was created after Rockwell lost his initial sketches in a studio fire and returned to the White House to redo the work, capturing detailed wartime elements like gas masks.
• Some figures in the painting, such as Miss America and a Navy WAVES member, were based on real people, though Rockwell took artistic liberties with their appearance and clothing, contributing to personal stories including a wartime romance.
• Ownership of the original paintings became contested within Stephen Early's family but was resolved in 2023 with a federal court granting sole ownership to William Elam, who later sold the suite to the White House Historical Association for $7.25 million.
• The paintings, which hung in the White House for over 40 years, are now publicly exhibited in Washington, D.C., near the White House, and will remain on display through June 2027.