NORMAN ROCKWELL (1894-1978)

The present work was published as an illustration for Elizabeth Goudge's short story "A Crock of Gold" in the August 1938 issue of Woman's Home Companion. The story follows a family of five children on their summer vacation in Scotland. The kids set off in search of the ancestral castle where their father grew up, despite his warning against it and stories of the despicable current inhabitant Isaac Rosenbaum. Along the way, the children meet a kind old man, a self-proclaimed "crock," who explains that he lives in a nearby castle and welcomes them in for a tour and a meal. After friendship and trust develops, he reveals himself as the infamous Isaac Rosenbaum. To his delight, the children accept him on their own judgement, realizing their father's sore misrepresentation of his character. The present work illustrates the moment when Rosenbaum decides to write the children into his will and summons two witnesses, asking them to keep the decision a secret. The story ends after his death, with the children living happily in the castle and remembering him as "the crock of gold."