Norman Rockwell’s family is shaking their heads at the Trump administration’s use of his work.
Rockwell’s granddaughter, Daisy, blasted the Kristi Noem-led Department of Homeland Security for repeatedly using his evocative paintings and illustrations of American life to promote the administration’s “segregationist” agenda on social media.
“They used [the paintings]... as though his work aligned with their values, i.e., promoting this segregationist vision of America,” she told The Bulwark. “And so of course we were upset by this, because Norman Rockwell was really very clearly anti-segregationist.”
Earlier this month, the DHS uploaded a photo of Rockwell’s 1939 painting dubbed Santa At The Map in a post that was captioned, “America. It is the only place where miracles not only happen, but where they happen all the time.” – Thomas Wolfe.”
In September, the agency used the blank space on Rockwell’s 1946 painting Working on the Statue of Liberty to plaster the words “Protect your homeland” and “Defend your culture” as part of a call for applications to become an immigration goon.
“‘Those who do not want to be partakers of the American spirit ought not to settle in America.’ - Calvin Coolidge,” the caption read. “BECOME A HOMELAND DEFENDER TODAY.”
In August, the DHS posted Rockwell’s Salute the Flag painting from 1971 to urge its followers to “protect our American way of life.”
Rockwell’s prolific career as an artist was defined by his depiction of scenes from everyday American life, as well as his social justice advocacy that was evident in pieces like 1964’s The Problem We All Live With, which shows civil rights icon Ruby Bridges as a six-year-old girl being escorted by U.S. Marshals.
In the words of his granddaughter, “Norman Rockwell was antifa.”
“I was born a White Protestant with some prejudices that I am continuously trying to eradicate,” Rockwell himself said in a 1962 interview. “I am angry at unjust prejudices, in other people and in myself.”
It’s not the first time that the Rockwell family has spoken out against the DHS’s use of his work.
Last month, a USAToday op-ed credited to “The Rockwell family” said the administration has “shamefully misused” his work—and without authorization.
“If Norman Rockwell were alive today, he would be devastated to see that his own work has been marshalled for the cause of persecution toward immigrant communities and people of color,” they wrote.
“We — as his eldest son, grandchildren and great-grandchildren — believe that now is the time to follow in his footsteps and stand for the values he truly wished to share with us and all Americans: compassion, inclusiveness and justice for all.”
The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
