Moms today may not have to reenact the American Indian Wars with junior in the store aisles, but that doesn’t mean multitasking with a grocery list and an active toddler is any easier than it was 50 years ago.

Popular artist Dick Sargent was a master of what art experts have come to call “sitcom covers.” Editors noted of this 1956 cover that Sargent, just to prove it could be done, borrowed a little boy to fit into a paper bag. “He let the boy’s father do it to assure that he himself would not get scalped.”

Sargent’s adeptness with facial expressions told the story: the mom’s weariness, the shell-shocked look of the grocer, and an expression on the boy’s face that says, “My work is done here.”

“Once upon a time a very small boy stood on the roof of the garage behind his home,” Post editors wrote of 1953′s Learning to Fly (at right). “He had made every reasonable arrangement to fly down. He had carefully studied the aerodynamics of the situation and met them with the most scientific equipment available.”

The cover was a flashback to a Nebraska afternoon when artist John Falter himself was on the roof of his boyhood home, as his own mother agonized below. And the boy, who grew up to recreate the comical events of his childhood for the enjoyment of Post readers everywhere, eventually found his wings.

“What is lovelier than the glow of carefree joy in the faces of happy children?” asked Post editors of this 1952 illustration. “Will the lady on the cover have the heart to defend her food and change those expressions to the pinched melancholy of starvation? She will if she can make it across the room in time.”

Sargent had set the scene for Crashing Mom’s Card Party in his dining room with real pastries, testing the self-restraint of his three sons. “The mouths of those sons began to water,” wrote the editors, “They watered for a week. Two weeks. Three. Then the sons were released at the pastry. They ate it so fast they apparently did not notice it was petrified, claims the fiendish father.”

There is much to be said about good intentions, besides the road to you-know-where being paved with them. Adding to the tension in this piece, an apple waits in the unsuspecting Mom’s path (no doubt left by one of her good-intentioned little helpers).

“My main concern in doing Post covers was trying to do something based on my own experiences,” illustrator John Falter said. “I found my niche as a painter of Americana with an accent on the Middle West. I brought out some of the homeliness and humor of Middle Western town life and home life.”

Like Learning to Fly, this Falter cover is fraught with enough anxiety to make the viewer cringe for Mom (and Dad). While the artist conveys enough despair for us to recognize that the situation is distressing, the overall effect is humorous.

In addition to childhood’s predicaments, Falter depicted a wide range of subjects, including nature’s beauty and intricate bird’s eye views of cities.

“Doggy Buffet”

Artist Richard Sargent (1911-1979) painted 47 Post covers between 1951 and 1962, when photographs were rapidly replacing magazine illustrations. A Midwesterner, he was born and raised in Moline, Illinois and went to art school there. He later became quite the world traveler, but he always remembered the all-American folk and loved putting them in situations that tended to go awry.

“Cramped Parking”

Right now Mr. Jones is feeling like a tin can in a trash compactor. But squeezing out of his car may be easier than explaining why he was late for work because he missed the 7:35.

“Dr. and the Dog”

“The trouble with painters,” said Post editors of this 1953 cover, “is that they build up awful situations like this, then blithely start work on another cover, leaving the victims to get out of the mess, if possible.” And leaving the observer to wonder what happens next. Artist Sargent was a master at the pregnant situation: Will the man above be able to squeeze out of his car and make the train? Will the dog at the buffet make off with the ham? Will the dog in this painting make a meal of the doctor? When editors asked, “Sargent says he doesn’t know what will happen, because the dog’s hair is so long he can’t see the expression in his eyes.” The rat.

“Sack Full of Trouble”

Grocery shopping was easy in the days before Big Chief Troublemaker came along, hiding in tin-can canyons and paper goods trails waiting to ambush Mom or the poor grocer.

Sargent had three sons, starting with a redheaded moppet with a mischievous bent; the inspiration for many a cover.

“Violin Practice”

Apparently Red’s skills have not reached a level tolerable even to himself in this 1955 cover. Sargent’s own redheaded son was grown by 1954 when an excited Sargent called a Post editor and said, “Well, what do you suppose happened to me?”

The staffer guessed, “Land a painting in the Metropolitan Museum?” “Better than that!” Sargent cried. “Listen. I’m a little guy: five feet six, 125 pounds. Always wanted to be an athlete when I was a kid—always the last kid to be picked on a team. All my life I’ve yearned to be written up in the sports news. You know the Wykagyl golf course?” (This was a famous suburban New York club near Sargent’s home.) “Well, sir, you’re talking to a champion! Anthony and I just won the Father and Son championship!”

Honestly, this guy couldn’t wait to share the family triumph with his friends at the Post. After sifting through biographical details about the artist, it seemed this little conversation told much more about the man.

“Richard Sargent”

Yep, confirmed the editors, the write-up in the New Rochelle paper detailed the duo’s spiffy score of net 66. So the Post ran its own photo of Sargent and family with the trophy. The lively little redheaded Anthony was by then six feet three and playing golf in the low 80’s. Noting that his dad scored in the 90’s, the editors suggested “he plays better with a brush”.

“Grandma Catches Fly-ball”

Number 21 is trying desperately, but it’s a high fly ball, straight into the mitt of…Grandma! Curious Post editors checked around and uncovered the fact that “some 1400 foul balls are knocked into the Yankee Stadium stands every season.” More difficult to ascertain were the stats on how many of those were snagged by little old ladies wearing red gloves.

“The Fat Lady Sings”

If you ever watched preliminary tryouts for “American Idol,” you probably found yourself cringing like the gentlemen here. Even the bust of Beethoven on the piano is wincing, no doubt wishing he had hands to cover his ears with. Maybe they should start playing “Show Me the Way to Go Home.” This was Dick Sargent in a nutshell, showing us that life has its foibles, but it’s still a hoot!

“A Christmas After-Dinner Dream” by Kate Greenaway

It’s 1875 and The Saturday Evening Post is more like an oversized newspaper than the slick magazine we’ve known in our lifetime. So imagine turning to the last page of the paper and seeing the page dominated by this Kate Greenaway drawing. If you’d like to know what all the craziness of the girl’s dream is about, we have a special Christmas gift for you: a PDF file of the story, “A Christmas After-Dinner Dream” in all its Victorian charm: Click Here

“Angels” by Charles Louis Hinton

“Full soon the midnight bells, that through the year tolled out the passing days, rang joyously, and all the East was radiant with the Star,” reads the 1898 Christmas story, “Legends of the Child Who is King” by none other than legendary publisher, George Horace Lorimer. The exquisite artwork was by Charles Louis Hinton.

“Is He Coming?” by Norman Rockwell

Yes, Virginia, Norman Rockwell did artwork for publications other than The Saturday Evening Post. These adorable children hoping for a glimpse of Santa were originally on the cover of Life magazine in 1920. In 1975, this was the cover of The Post. It would be interesting to know if there is other artwork out there that appeared on the covers of two different publications. But, wait! Is that…? It is! It’s the sound of reindeer hooves!

“Choir Boys Will Be Boys” by Frances Tipton Hunter

Awww, aren’t they little angels? We didn’t say perfect little angels. But at least they can set aside their differences long enough to sing of the joy of the season. This is from 1938 by Frances Tipton Hunter. If you haven’t had your fill of cute today, see more covers by this delightful artist:
“The Art of Frances Tipton Hunter”

“All Wrapped Up in Christmas” by Richard Sargent

Some wrappers are all thumbs. Post editors suggested that he need not attach a tag: it will be obvious that Pops was the one who wrapped the gift. And it will be just as apparent that he would go through this ordeal for one person only—the one he loves best.

“Christmas in Hiding” – George Hughes

This 1960 cover from artist George Hughes is one of my favorites. Mom and Dad are hiding gifts…and they are not alone. It would appear a mole has infiltrated the jackets hanging in the closet, and not the four-legged kind. It is not clear whether the spy gets away clean or not.

Water Fight by Thornton Utz

First on the agenda is to start an all-out water war with the neighborhood kids. Artist Thornton Utz knew that any of these munchkins would fight a bath, but tackle them with hoses and the game is on. Your report will say you coordinated neighborhood activities. The adults clearing the sidewalk may not be especially fond of this particular activity, but your report won’t reflect that. This cover is from 1951.

Watering Father by Richard Sargent

“I thought of eco-friendly ways to help keep everyone cool,” your report will state. The shower will invigorate Dad, right? This 1955 cover shows why Dick Sargent was one of our favorite artists. What it doesn’t show is what happens seconds after this scene, for which we are thankful.

Bicycle Tricks by Thornton Utz

Your teacher will be impressed you made time for healthy exercise. You may need to click on the cover for a close-up, but basically, people are clearing a path for Hurricane Harry—not that he’s giving them much choice. But your report will show you took proper safety precautions—for yourself. In this 1955 cover, at least he’s wearing a helmet. It’s the safety of everyone else that is in question.

Dog Days of Summer by John Clymer

And it’s really nice you took time out on a lovely June day for watching the youngsters. This beautiful cover was by John Clymer, who dressed up dozens of Post covers with gorgeous landscapes. Thoughts of school are as far away as the farthest blue hills in this painting. But keep up the notes. Free babysitting will look good in your report.

Boy in Inner Tube by Eugene Iverd

“I kept it ‘green’ by finding uses for old items,” you’ll note. In this case, an old inner tube becomes a flotation device. This is from 1936 by artist Eugene Iverd, who did wonderful paintings of boys. For more of his great covers, enter “Iverd” in the search box. “Not only a serious student of art,” the Post noted in an August 2000 feature on the artist, “Iverd was also a teacher of art, first to wounded soldiers after the first world war and then to high school students.”

Piano Practice by George Hughes

“I faithfully kept up my music lessons,” your report will proudly conclude. It probably won’t mention that your mind was on swimming as you went through your Mozart exercises. Sure, Mozart had mastered minuets by the age of 4, but did he have a swimming pool waiting for him on a hot day? I think not. Practicing in your swim gear still counts.

Painting the Patio Green – Thornton Utz

The way Harry figures it, you can spend all summer planting, mowing, and watering—or you can just paint the dadgum patio green and relax in your hammock for the duration of nice weather. Admit it, you wish you had thought of it. This was by cover artist Thornton Utz, who apparently had a thing about yardwork.

Spring Yardwork – Thornton Utz

Thornton Utz, the artist who painted the above cover, has yet another option to yardwork. Just let the darn thing go. While industrious neighbors are raking, shoveling, planting, and so forth, Joe just sits back, communing with nature and catching the game on his portable TV. Well, communing with crabgrass. If you click on the cover for a close-up view, you’ll see he even has a fan rigged up to blow cool air from a large block of ice. Hey, when watching the game in living black and white, no comfort is overlooked.

The Tuba Next Door – George Hughes

“I’m all for free spirits,” thinks the blonde lady leaning out her window, “until one moves in next door!” What’s moving in next door is a big bass drum and tuba. What, you got something against music, lady?

Violin Practice – Richard Sargent

Perhaps nosy blonde lady above can learn something from the kid down the street. Billy is not yet enamored by the sounds of the violin, but was told he has to practice an hour a day. According to the timer on the chair, he has so far gotten in about five minutes. The ear muffs should help.

I’d Rather Be Golfing – Thornton Utz

I’d Rather Be Golfing shows us a neighbor saying to heck with yardwork by, guess who? Yes, apparently cover artist Thornton Utz used much of his artistic creativity in devising ways to avoid lawn maintenance. One has to admire a man like that.

Cold Water Swimmer – Richard Sargent

The water temperature is 50 degrees and even the lifeguard is bundled up. But there’s always one guy, isn’t there? Otherwise, there would be no need for a lifeguard on this nippy day. I’m thinking old Smiley here was the same kid who, just before the bell rang to dismiss class, would remind the teacher she hadn’t assigned homework yet.

Worried Rental Agent by Richard Sargent

While potential renters are checking out the closet space, the rental agent is checking out the child. A little boy with a big slingshot is scoping out possible new targets. Did we mention lots of nice windows? Definitely bears watching. This is from 1953.

Public Aquarium by George Hughes

Okay, which little boy came up with this bright idea? “Swimming with the fishes” does not normally have a good connotation, but it sounds cool to these kids. Maybe they’re thinking of diving for buried treasure. The security guard is having one of those “uh oh” moments. This is from 1954 by artist George Hughes.

Dr. and the Dog by Richard Sargent

Talk about a guard! Little Billy is tensed up for a shot and the dog isn’t sure the doctor should proceed. Maybe. We can’t exactly tell the dog’s mood because we can’t see his eyes. But the prognosis for the doctor doesn’t look good. Like the cover with the worried real estate agent above, this cover was by Richard Sargent.

Automobile Showroom by Amos Sewell

Wow! A cool new 1957 something-or-other! Teen One is dying to drive this baby to see how fast she can go. Teen Two is daydreaming about how hot Mary Ellen would look in the seat next to him. And Teen Three is underneath the car soon to emerge with a mechanical question that will stump the watchful dealer. Artist Amos Sewell painted this cover, so the editors dubbed the vehicle the Amos Sewell Super-whiz. That’s the cool thing about being an artist; if you want a hot new car you can just manufacture it yourself.

Saturday Rain by Earl Mayan

The raindrops bear watching, but it looks like the happy gardener is going to win this round. Artist Earl Mayan painted himself as the chagrined golfer, and a friend of his posed for the role of happy flower guy. But will the clouds pass and produce fine golfing weather after all? Well, there’s always next weekend.

Kittens in the Basement by John Falter

When Harry the Cat turns out to be Harriett, it is definitely an uh-oh moment. Let’s hope the kids don’t get too attached to the little cuties because while they’re thinking up names for them, Mom and Pop are trying to figure out ways to get rid of them. That will make the dog happy, because right now he looks like he’s lost his best friends.

Boyfriend’s Baby Pictures by George Hughes

1953 Post editors speculated that the girl might be thinking, “Oh my gosh, if Bill and I got married, would we have funny-looking babies like that?” Aw, come on guys – she’s thinking he was sooo cute! I think this is payback for the way Bill behaved at the grocery when he was little (cover below).

Sack Full of Trouble by Richard Sargent

The redheaded Indian in the grocery bag has that look – what my folks used to call “pure orneriness”. Mom looks like she’s been through the wringer today with Big Chief Billy and his bow and arrow. But be careful, junior; Mom always has ammo of her own – remember the photo album.

Kitchen Haircut by Harold Anderson

In 1933 you didn’t take your kid to the mall (what mall?) for a haircut. It was a mom duty. My memories are of Mom haircuts and home perms in the 1960’s. I didn’t say they were good memories. Moms may not often be good stylists, but they got the job done.

Removing the Splinter by George Alsop

Going barefoot is fun – until you get a splinter. We went clear back to 1917 for this one from The Country Gentleman magazine, a sister publication to the Post for many decades.

New Woolies by Frances Tipton Hunter

Shopping is not Billy’s strong suit – it’s a good thing it is Mom’s. Artist Frances Tipton Hunter did eighteen Saturday Evening Post covers, each cuter than the next.

Spirit of Education by Norman Rockwell

You would think we’d be grateful Mother buys us warm underwear and sews our costume for the school pageant. But, noooo. All we care about is having to wear a dumb ol’ sheet and our friends snickering at us. Hopefully, Norman Rockwell’s lad will get into the spirit.

Secret Valentine by Harry Hintermeister

Sometimes it’s best to remain a secret valentine. Case in point: when you’re sending a valentine to a special boy and he’s sending valentines to every girl in town! The little girl’s face is priceless – she doesn’t know whether to cry or jump up and strangle him. This is from our then-sister magazine, Country Gentleman from 1938.

Lady buying Valentine Card by Ethyl Franklin Betts

One of our earliest Valentine’s Day covers shows a lady shopping for a card in 1904.This cover was done by an artist named Ethel Franklin Betts. Is the gentleman behind the shopper wishing the card was for him? Betts was a student of the illustrious (in every sense of the word) Howard Pyle, and did mostly illustrations for children’s books. Luckily for us, she also did four Saturday Evening Post covers.

First Valentine by Richard Sargent

More than fifty years later, this lad is picking out just the right card for someone special. Cover artist Dick Sargent did forty-seven covers in the 1950’s and early sixties. This is a typical slice-of-life example, with a boy clearly not wanting to be seen doing what he’s doing. Let’s hope his buddies don’t catch him while he’s at it – poor kid will never hear the end of it.

Giant Valentine by Tom Webb

The things we do for love. Tom Webb is another mostly forgotten artist, but he did six Post covers. This one is from 1937. One wonders about the lady’s reaction.

Couple in Heart by Bradshaw Crandall

Artist Crandall did nine Post covers of pretty girls or handsome couples. I love the thirties hairstyles and fashions here. Crandall was known for painting romantic ladies…along with pin-ups too risqué for the likes of The Saturday Evening Post.

Older Woman Casing Cupid by J.C. Leyendecker

When it came to romance in the 19th century, men did all the pursuing. A “loophole” was Leap Year, when ladies were supposedly permitted to propose to a man. So watch out, Cupid! This lady (I’ll kindly refrain from calling her a spinster) is on a mission. This crazy 1908 cover was by J.C. Leyendecker.

Swimming Hole by Norman Rockwell

This is a charming story-in-a-picture of a salesman making a long drive on a hot August day. No air conditioning in the car, of course. He spots a swimming hole, pulls over and goes for it. He carefully lays his glasses on a newspaper and his lit cigar on his shoe, to be picked up when he emerges (Rockwell was all about details). And then shows us a face of pure bliss. “George Zimmer, my model,” reported Norman Rockwell, “was an awful good sport. He stripped and I poured several buckets of water over his head to get the effect.” And you thought modeling was easy!

Drink of Water by Frank X. Leyendecker

We love this cover from August of 1914 by artist Frank X. Leyendecker (brother of Post cover artist J.C.). Frank did sixteen Post covers, and this one is delightful. Delivering papers in August is hot, tiring work, and the kid deserves a cool drink. The fact that his drinking buddy happens to be a horse doesn’t concern him.

Watering Father by Richard Sargent

We’d all like to see this scene three seconds later, but this is what we have to work with. While Mom is busy planting and watering flowers, Junior is thinking Dad’s pasty white skin needs a cool-down. Whether Dad agreed it was a good idea is a mystery left up to the viewer. Sargent was great with humorous scenes and a master at the pregnant pause, the “what-happens-next” moment.

Wet Swim Suit by Clarence F. Underwood

We know, you’re shocked. A pretty young lady in a swimsuit on the cover of the staid and venerable Saturday Evening Post. And in 1912 yet! Well, even young ladies in 1912 deserved a cool-down. At least we don’t have to wring out the heavy skirts of our swimsuits these days. Artist Clarence F. Underwood did over forty Post covers. Even though most of them were in the 19-teens, many showed active women: fishing, playing tennis, canoeing, even plowing a field. Of course, they looked surprisingly pretty doing all this.

Sitting on the Diving Board by Penrhyn Stanlaws

My, how bathing suits changed in a mere twenty-one years! In a swimsuit more suited for immersion, the pretty lady from 1933 is just dipping her toes in the water. Go figure. Curtis Publishing (curtispublishing.com) shows many gorgeous Stanlaws covers, usually of lovely young ladies holding a teacup or bouquet. He did a total of thirty-seven Post covers between 1913 and 1938. (Warning: if you look up his covers on the Curtis website, you’ll want to buy prints of them all.)

Cool Bear by Charles Livingston Bull

Then there’s the total immersion therapy. This is from Country Gentleman magazine (a sister publication) in 1922 by great wildlife artist, Charles Livingston Bull. If that water looks good to you, a word of advice: Find another place to cool down.