Inspiration for the Four Freedoms, a virtual discussion with Don Trachte

Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms—Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear—were first published in 1943 while the artist was living in Arlington, Vermont. In this illustrated talk, Don Trachte, Jr. (Rockwell’s former neighbor and model) describes the three tragic events that influenced Rockwell’s visual interpretation of Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech.

DON TRACHTE, JR. is the eldest son of artist Donald Trachte. He was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1947. During his childhood in the 1950s in the wholesome environment of Arlington, Vermont, where he was raised as a neighbor and a friend of Norman Rockwell’s family, Don grew up with many of the people depicted in Rockwell’s paintings. He attended Arlington High School and Western State College of Colorado with a major in economics. His interest in science and geology led to expeditions to Antarctica and Greenland.  Trachte has worked for several aerospace companies in sales/marketing and program management. He is currently cataloguing his father’s large collection of artwork and artifacts collected. Don lives in Bennington, Vermont.

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