Frederic Stanley (1892-1967) was great with facial expressions. Throughout his 17 Saturday Evening Post covers, Stanley payed attention to details and typically used locals for his models, much like Norman Rockwell. Young Stanley, who worked as a mechanic by trade and created art in his free time, carried some of his paintings to New York with an ultimatum attached: If the paintings sold, he would devote his life to art; if they didn’t, he would remain a mechanic at his brother’s Massachusetts Buick agency. As it turned out, his brother soon had to post a vacancy. Not only did Stanley sell his work, he returned home with a contract for three more pieces.
