Norman Rockwell (American, 1894-1978) The Scouting Trail, 1939 Oil on canvas 26-1/8 x 20-1/8 inches (66.4 x 51.1 cm) Signed lower right: Norman / Rockwell Property from the BSA Settlement Trust, Sold for the Benefit of Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse EXHIBITED: National Scouting Museum, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, n.d. LITERATURE: Boy Scouts of America Calendar, Brown & Bigelow Co., Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1939, n.p., illustrated; Boys' Life Magazine, The Boy Scouts of America, New York, February 1939, cover; W. Hillcourt, Norman Rockwell's World of Scouting, New York, 1977, pp. 12-13, illustrated; M. Moline, Norman Rockwell Encyclopedia, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, p. 221, fig. 8-18, illustrated; L.N. Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Vol. I, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, p. 275, no. A59, illustrated; J. Csatari, Norman Rockwell's Boy Scouts of America, New York, 2009, pp. 38-39, illustrated. In The Scouting Trail, Rockwell places three smiling Scouts in distinguished company. Behind the Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Sea Scout, a procession evokes centuries of adventure: an armored knight on horseback, an explorer in a crested helmet, a colonial figure in a tricorn hat, a frontiersman in a fur cap, and a soldier wearing a steel helmet. Painted in subdued tones, these figures belong to the past; the boys, with their bright uniforms and warm expressions, are its hopeful successors. Published for the 1939 Scouting calendar, the image connects youthful friendship with an older tradition of courage and service. The painted scroll gives that idea its voice: "This is the Trail that the Scout shall know Where knightly qualities thrive and grow; The trail of honor and truth and worth And the strength that springs from the good brown earth; The trail that Scouts, in their seeking, blaze Through the toughest tangle, the deepest maze, Till out of Boyhood the Scout comes straight To Manhood's splendid and high estate!" HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

National Scouting Museum, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, n.d.

Lined. Brush hair included in paint layer along lower edge. Very faint stretcher bar mark along the left margin. Under UV examination: varnish fluoresces; a very fine vertical line of inpaint at upper center corresponding to a possible surface scratch. A few fine lines in lower left.
Framed Dimensions 29.25 X 23.25 Inches