Fact Check

Little-Known Norman Rockwell Painting: 'Cat Prevents House Fire'

An image purportedly showing a little-known Norman Rockwell painting entitled "Cat Prevents House Fire" wasn't created by the famed American illustrator.

Published May 26, 2016

 (Wikipedia)
Image Via Wikipedia
Claim:
A little-known painting entitled "Cat Prevents House Fire" was created by Norman Rockwell.

An image of a man asleep in a chair with a lit cigarette drooping from his mouth, while a cat prepares to swat his dangling testicles, is frequently shared on social media along with the claim that it depicts a recently discovered painting ("Cat Prevents House Fire") created by famed 20th century American illustrator Norman Rockwell:

cat prevents house fire

This image does not reproduce a Norman Rockwell painting, however. It has never been featured in any collection of his works, nor does it appear among the original Rockwell artworks housed at the Norman Rockwell Museum. (Moreover, the original illustration includes a depiction of male genitalia that the wholesome Rockwell would never have included in one of his works.)

Although this image may be somewhat Rockwellian in style, it is a much more modern creation (Norman Rockwell passed away in 1978) that was posted to the adult web site EroProfile in August 2013 under the title "nuts." It wasn't until December 2013 that Norman Rockwell's name was attached to the image when it was shared on Flickr.

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.

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