The Modern Vacation

Fun for the whole family!

Lookout Point by John Falter
Lookout Point
John Falter
July 18, 1953

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Fun for the Whole Family!

The educational road trip leading up to a spectacular vista is not always appreciated by those for whom all that effort was expended. Artist Richard Sargent was also a father and the complex and often hilarious child-parent dynamic was a regular theme.

 

Lookout Point by John Falter
Lookout Point
Richard Sargent
The Saturday Evening Post
July 18, 1953

 

Beached

Retirees in the 1930s may not have known how to dress down for the shore, but they seem to be enjoying the sand just as much as their modern-day equivalents do.

 

Retired Couple at Beach by J.C. Leyendecker
Retired Couple at Beach
J.C. Leyendecker
The Saturday Evening Post
February 20, 1937

 

Dedicated vacationers march to the water first thing in the morning, forming an impromptu parade.

 

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Inn in Ogunquit
John Falter
The Saturday Evening Post
August 2, 1947

 

Baggage

 

Universal Truth No. 1: After a week at the beach, you will accumulate at least twice the baggage that you arrived with.

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Packing the Car
Stevan Dohanos
The Saturday Evening Post
September 8, 1956

 

Universal Truth No. 2: Vacations are short and much anticipated, which doesn’t leave time for unpacking — at least not in Dad’s view.

 

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Father’s Off Fishing
Thornton Utz
The Saturday Evening Post
June 18, 1960

Disappointment

When your job is to help others achieve their dreams as is the case for this travel agent, sometimes you need a quiet moment to dream one up for yourself.

 

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Travel Agent at Desk
Constantin Alajalov
The Saturday Evening Post
February 12, 1949

 

You can’t plan the weather for that dream vacation, but this family is determined to get in as much outdoor time as humanly possible.

 

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Rainy Day at Beach Rental
Stevan Dohanos
The Saturday Evening Post
July 31, 1948


Back Again

When you go away for what looks to be about three weeks — judging from the number of newspapers on the lawn, strewn about the front entry by some lout of a paperboy — there’s a lot of cleanup to be done. The weight of this realization is quite evident in the droop of Father’s shoulders.

 

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Home from Vacation
John Falter
The Saturday Evening Post
August 23, 1952

 

There may be no place like home, but after a long trip, Rockwell’s family requires rest.

 

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Home from Vacation
Norman Rockwell
The Saturday Evening Post
September 13, 1930

 

 

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Comments

  1. Substitute iPads and iPhones for the books and papers and nothing has changed.

  2. The top one — Lookout Point — that was my family for sure. We did this to my poor dad — read books when we were supposed to be fulfilling his long-stated dream of taking his family to experience the Grand Canyon in all its splendor. Little does Dad realize that his efforts were all worth the while in the end. All of us love and cherish these places, now, deeply. Thank you, Dad. And thank you, all the Dads.

  3. Always a great fan of Rockwell. These photos bring back fond memories of days gone by. Are prints available?

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