Artist Norman Rockwell, right and his wife Molly, left, in his last public appearance at a 'Norman Rockwell Day' parade in Stockbridge, Mass., Nov. 9, 1978. (AP Photo)
Four original Norman Rockwell sketches that once hung in the West Wing are set for auction on Friday, drawing intense interest from collectors and a determined bid from the White House Historical Association, which hopes to bring them back to the White House collection.
The 1940s-era drawings, titled “So You Want to See the President!”, were created in 1943 and capture a lively cross-section of Americans waiting to meet President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The series was originally published in the Saturday Evening Post during World War II and is widely considered a charming snapshot of American democracy.
Historic Artwork Returns to the Market
The sketches were gifted by Rockwell to Stephen Early, Roosevelt’s longtime press secretary. After decades on display in the West Wing, they were removed following a family ownership dispute that began in 2017. The disagreement ended earlier this year when a federal appeals court upheld a ruling granting ownership to Early’s grandson, William Elam III.
Elam is now putting the sketches on the market through a Dallas-based auction house, with the opening bid set at $2.5 million. The collection is estimated to fetch between $4 million and $6 million.
A Glimpse of Democracy in Action
The sketches depict journalists, military officers, everyday citizens and even a Miss America Pageant winner seated in the White House lobby, waiting to see the president. A Secret Service agent stands by in one of the scenes.
“They show a vibrant slice of American life,” said Matthew Costello, chief education officer at the White House Historical Association. “Rockwell captured the humanity and accessibility Roosevelt valued. It’s an extraordinary series.”
According to the auction house, this is Rockwell’s only known set of four interlinked illustrations created specifically to tell a continuous story.
Once a West Wing Favorite
Anita McBride, a member of the association’s board, remembers the drawings fondly from her early years in the Reagan administration. She recalled how staff members frequently paused to admire them during tours.
“They stood out from anything else displayed in the West Wing,” she said. “People loved seeing that mix of Americans waiting to meet their president.”
The sketches hung in various West Wing corridors for over four decades, often near the press offices just steps from the Oval Office.
A Complicated Journey Back to Auction
The art was originally loaned to the White House in 1978 under an agreement requiring their return to Elam’s family upon request. They remained displayed until the ownership dispute resurfaced, triggered when Thomas Early, Stephen Early’s son, spotted them on television during a 2017 interview with President Donald Trump.
The White House returned the drawings to the family in 2022 after the court confirmed Elam’s ownership.
Association Faces Tough Competition
The White House Historical Association hopes to secure the sketches but may struggle to match the high bidding range. The nonprofit receives no government funding and relies solely on donations and merchandise sales. Its highest previous purchase was $1.5 million for Jacob Lawrence’s “The Builders” in 2007.
Despite the financial challenge, McBride says the association remains committed.
“There’s strong competition for Americana and Rockwell’s work,” she noted. “But these pieces belong in the White House. We try hard to bring them back.”
