3SE "The Gossips"

"The Gossips" is a painting by Norman Rockwell. It appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post published on March 6^th 1948. It is also called "the Chain of gossip". It is said that people on the painting are the artist's neighbors. He pictured himself as the subject of the gossips. He is the last but one character, with his hand pointed at himself in the grey hat in the bottom row.He received thousands of letters at the Saturday Evening Post asking what the gossip was that his neighbors were passing along but an answer was never given. The artist worried that his friends might be offended so he included his wife and himself. Mary Rockwell is second and third in the third row spreading the rumour via the phone. The lady at the end is the one at the beginning who started the rumour and Norman Rockwell seems to tell her what he thinks. Fifteen pairs of people are talking to each other. Many of them seem amazed by what they've just heard. It may be completely incredible. It makes some of them laugh.