Ichabod Crane 1937

Norman Rockwell created this oil painting of Ichabod Crane in 1937, and it reflects both the artist's and America's cultural anxieties in that period. Rockwell was an artist who found his niche in the illustration of everyday scenes of American life. But here, he's illustrating a fictional character, from Washington Irving's story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". The image creates meaning through cultural reference. In the 1930s, as America was suffering through the Depression and as war loomed in Europe, there was a turn to American folklore and traditions, trying to define a sense of national identity. In Rockwell's image, the awkward figure of Ichabod Crane seems ill-equipped to face the dangers that lie in wait for him. The setting is dark, but light shines on Crane's head, face, and hands. This visual device draws the viewer's attention to his head and the tools of his trade, quill and knife, suggesting that perhaps these are his defenses against the world. To better understand this painting, we could do research into the artist, the literary context of the story, and the history of American illustration.