The making of Norman Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post Covers

One hundred years ago, on May 16, 1916, the first illustration by Norman Rockwell appeared on the cover of the "Saturday Evening Post." Rockwell went on to paint more than 300 covers, each one an illustration of American life.

But the paintings did not just come to him from out of thin air -- they took careful planning and direction. Rockwell used "reference photographs" to compile the final image for each of his paintings.

Reference photo for "The Runaway"

This photo is one of the key reference photos for his painting, "The Runaway." On the stool is Edward Locke, who was 8-years-old back when the image was taken in 1958.

Reference photo for "The Runaway"

Before Rockwell ever put paint to brush, he called in a photographer. Each photograph became the template for his final paintings.

Edward Locke and a police officer posed at a Howard Johnson's counter for one of "The Runaway" reference photographs.

Reference photo for "The Runaway"

Photography was a technique Rockwell started using in the early 1930's to streamline his painting process.

Pictured here is one of the reference photographs used to paint the waiter in "The Runaway."

"The Runaway"

Edward Locke, now 65, looks at the final cover version of "The Runaway" with CBS News' Lee Cowan. The painting was comprised by Rockwell using hundreds of reference photos.

Norman Rockwell

"He really couldn't have somebody stand there for hours, it was just too tedious -- too time consuming. They couldn't hold the pose," said Stephanie Plunkett, lead curator at the Norman Rockwell Museum.

Norman Rockwell

"He really was a thinking painter. There was never anything in a Rockwell that wasn't there for a very good reason," said Plunkett.

Reference photo for "Before the Shot"

The Norman Rockwell Museum is home to to tens of thousands of reference photos for the artist's paintings.

Here, Rockwell is pictured with Edward Locke in a reference photograph for his painting "Before the Shot."

Reference photo for "Before the Shot"

"The townspeople said I was the kid who showed his butt for five bucks!" Locke says of his posing for "Before the Shot."

Reference photo for "Before the Shot"

Every detail was photographed -- the linoleum floor, a doctor's scale -- everything. Even Rockwell himself was included when a model wasn't unavailable.

"Before the Shot"

The final version of "Before the Shot," pictured here, is one of Rockwell's most iconic paintings.

Norman Rockwell

Rockwell, right, directed all of his reference photos like a movie.

"He would take on the poses -- 'Lift your eyebrows higher, make that smile bigger.' Propping people's feet up on books, to try to make them look like they were moving," Plunkett said.

Rockwell paints "Saying Grace"

Rockwell's reference photos, as well as final paintings, have all been archived and made available online by the Norman Rockwell Museum.

The archive contains more than 20,000 photographs, selected correspondence, and illustrated print material.