Coca-Cola Finds Lost Rockwell Painting

An original Norman Rockwell oil painting that was created for a Coca-Cola calendar in 1931 has been discovered and acquired by The Coca-Cola Company. The painting, which has never been publicly displayed, has been out of public sight for seven decades. The company acquired the artwork in early June from a retired printing company executive who had obtained it from the firm that produced the original calendar.

The company now possesses three of six original artworks it commissioned from Rockwell between 1928 and 1935. The company is still actively searching for the other three originals.

The newly acquired painting, ``The Barefoot Boy,'' depicts a Tom Sawyer look-alike holding a bottle of Coca-Cola with his dog beside him. At the time it was introduced, the work was the most popular calendar for Coca-Cola ever, with close to 2 million distributed. The same artwork also appeared on trays, school tablets, window display pieces and outdoor posters.

``We are extremely fortunate to have discovered this treasure that has been lost for 70 years,'' said Doug Daft, chairman and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Company. ``This is an exciting and important link to our heritage by the great artist Norman Rockwell and is reminiscent of The Coca-Cola Company's deep connection over more than a century with the people who enjoy our products. Now it can touch new generations who appreciate it as both art and history.''

Rockwell, who died in 1978, was one of America's foremost illustrators. The Coca-Cola Company commissioned the artist to paint six different illustrations, including four calendars, one billboard and one magazine ad for the Saturday Evening Post.

``We feel confident that the other three Rockwell works for Coca-Cola are somewhere in someone's attic, basement or den,'' said Philip F. Mooney, manager of the company's Archives Department.

``The Barefoot Boy'' painting was discovered when a relative of the owner contacted The Coca-Cola Company. ``Quite frequently the public brings to our company's attention rare pieces of memorabilia that have been in private hands, and this is certainly an outstanding example,'' said Mooney. ``We hope that someone will hear about the acquisition of 'The Barefoot Boy' and realize they may have a valuable Rockwell art treasure as well. The search is always continuing for the next nugget of Coca-Cola history that is lost at the moment.''

``The acquisition of 'The Barefoot Boy' adds immeasurably to the company's fine art collection of original works from the Golden Age of Illustration in America,'' Mooney said. ``During the 1930s, The Coca-Cola Company commissioned some of the finest artists in America to produce commercial work. Norman Rockwell was the greatest of these artists, and The Coca-Cola Company is proud of its association with him.''

Rockwell's model for ``The Barefoot Boy,'' Dan Grant, is now 82 and living in Hollister, California. At the time of the painting, Grant was an 11-year- old child actor who appeared in 38 films between 1927 and 1933. They included one ``Our Gang'' silent film comedy, ``Tom Sawyer'' with Jackie Coogan, ``Fireman, Save My Child'' with Joe E. Brown, ``Platinum Blonde'' with Jean Harlow, and ``The Champ'' with Jackie Cooper and Wallace Beery.

``Norman Rockwell was a nice gentleman,'' Grant recalled. ``He asked me what I was doing in school and what sports I liked. I worked with him for five days in a loft studio above a garage in Alhambra, California. Every morning I rode a yellow cab for about 12 miles from where I lived. I got the job through central casting. I was a little lucky being in the right place at the right time. I enjoyed it completely.''

Following his movie career and school, Grant served in the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean Conflict. He spent most of his adult life in the personnel field, retiring in 1977.

The company not only worked with Rockwell, but also with other major illustrators, including N.C. Wyeth, Gil Elvgren, Frederick Mizen, Frederic Stanley and Haddon H. Sundblom, who is famous for creating more than 40 original oil paintings of Santa Claus for Coca-Cola.

In addition to the ``Barefoot Boy'' the other two works commissioned by The Coca-Cola Company from Rockwell that the company has located and acquired are:
``Carry Me Back to Old Virginny,'' 1934 -- A porch scene of an elderly gentleman and his daughter enjoying a bottle and a glass of Coca-Cola.
``Out Fishin','' 1935 -- A farm boy sitting atop a tree stump with a bottle of Coca-Cola in his right hand, his fishing pole in his left one, and his dog crouched alongside.

The three works the company is continuing to search for are:
-- "The Old Oaken Bucket," 1932 -- A boy sitting on a well with a wooden barrel of bottles of Coca-Cola in his lap.
-- "Wholesome Refreshment," -- A 1928 sepia tone magazine ad for Saturday Evening Post in which a smiling young man in a sweater and knickers lounges with a Coca-Cola. In the background, adults are dressed in their finest 1920s attire and children are playing. A legend at the bottom of the ad declares, "8 million a day."
-- "Office Boy -- 4 p.m. -- The Pause That Refreshes," -- A 1930 outdoor poster in which a smiling boy, dressed in a suit and tie and carrying a tray with two bottles of Coca-Cola and two bell-shaped glasses, is opening a door that says 'Vice President.'

SOURCE: The Coca-Cola Company