James K. Van Brunt

Who is James K. Van Brunt?

James K. Van Brunt was a model used extensively by illustrator Norman Rockwell during the 1920s

According to Norman Rockwell and the Saturday Evening Post: The Early Years, by Starkey Flythe, Jr., Van Brunt entered Rockwell's studio, and proclaimed, "James K. Van Brunt, sir. Five feet two inches tall, sir. The exact height of Napoleon Bonaparte." He claimed to be a veteran of the battles of Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, and the Battle of the Wilderness. He also claimed to have fought in battles against the forces of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, and against the Spaniards in Cuba.

Rockwell used Van Brunt as a model so often that the Post editors started complaining.

The following is a list of The Saturday Evening Post covers for which Van Brunt modeled:

"The Hobo," October 18, 1924

"Crossword Puzzles," January 31, 1925

"The Old Sign Painter," February 6, 1926

The first cover after Van Brunt had shaved off his mustache

"The Phrenologist," March 27, 1926

"The Bookworm," August 14, 1926

"Dreams of Long Ago," August 13, 1927

Van Brunt was a widower, but still apparently mourned for Annabelle, his late wife. Rockwell's painting, Dreams of Long Ago, was a result of Rockwell inadvertently barging in on Van Brunt remembering his trip with Annabelle to the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago.