Norman Rockwell’s artwork has been celebrated for his authentic look at classic American lifestyles in the mid-1900s. He often captured people doing everyday things and the subjects in the photos were often in their own yards. One of the details featured in numerous Norman Rockwell paintings was wooden fences.
These paintings have a timeless quality to them and homeowners can find a lot of inspiration as they plan their own fence designs. Check out some of Rockwell’s iconic pieces of art and how the little details in the fence designs can help you select the fence for your own yard.
Whitewashing the Fence
Whitewashing the Fence is one of Rockwell’s most famous fence paintings and it was a design directly based on Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The painting itself puts a lot of emphasis on the white fence. The fence design seen in the painting features an estate style, most likely made with large pieces of cedarwood.
Estate fences typically feature no gaps and offer extra privacy for your yard. The tall planks can rise high, ideal for any children or pets who play in your yard. The fence installation typically features a natural wood color, but you could easily paint the fence white to match the painting.
If you look closely at the details, the fence presses right up against the house. With professional fence installation, you can eliminate any gaps and keep a backyard fully enclosed.
The Magic Foot-ball
Norman Rockwell created multiple pieces of art for a story entitled The Magic Foot-ball, but you should focus on the first painting. The first painting showcases a classic white picket fence. The picket-style fence includes small gaps between each plank of wood and a large post to help secure the fence.
The classic style fence presents an ideal option for front yards and can pair well with greenery like bushes as the painting shows. Focus on the right side of the painting to see the post cap attached to the fence post. Post cap options include a wide range of styles and designs. The design Rockwell painted looks similar to an Early American design.
The Early American post cap design includes a flat top with sides that go out. Not only do the caps protect the fence, but they provide a nice uniform look across the whole fence design. Like other fence options, you could paint yours white like the image or keep the natural wood colors.
The Adventure Trail
The Boy Scouts were often a subject that Norman Rockwell painted and one of his iconic Boy Scout paintings showcases a group of Boy Scouts in the backyard. Simply titled The Adventure Trail, the people are the focal point of the painting, but the background design includes a white picket fence.
The picket fence design looks similar to the Magic Foot-ball and includes small open spaces between each picket. As showcased by the dog in the picture, the pickets are not wide enough for the dog to squeeze through. The spaces between each picket do help increase the natural sunlight in the backyard and reduce shadows and shade.
Rockwell showcases the inside of the fence in the design. The unique feature stands out from other paintings which often showcase the front of the fence. You can easily see the base of the fence and the cross board that helps support the pickets.
Young Love: Walking to School
Some fence installation options are purely for ornamental designs and add a nice curb appeal to your property. One of the best examples of this from Rockwell’s art includes the painting known as Young Love: Walking to School. The painting showcases a young boy and girl walking to school as a dog trails them from behind.
The picket fence sits in the background and extends horizontally across the center of the photo. Multiple elements showcase how the fence installation has more visual features rather than practical features. The pickets on the fence include fairly wide spaces. The dog in the painting could possibly squeeze through the gaps.
The fence height only goes up to around the shoulders of the young kids. Consider the design for homes that want a fence, but are not concerned about privacy. The large gaps and short height give you more opportunities to play around with your landscape design, showcase plants, and work with the fence.
Along with this fence installation, you may choose to pair the fence with a stylish entrance gate that connects everything together. When you shop for fences, feel free to use image examples to showcase the exact style fence you want. Rockwell painted these decades ago, but the timeless fence designs still factor into landscape and home design.
Contact us at Town & Country Fence to find out more about our wooden fence options. View our gallery to see designs and match them up with some of your favorite Norman Rockwell paintings and art pieces.
