Painters Born in the 1800s 1800s Painters    

Lesson 12: Cousin Reginald Plays Pirates

by Norman Rockwell

Directions

Study the painting for one week.

Over the week:

• Look at the painting.
• Read the synopsis.
• Study the vocabulary words.
• Read about the artist.
• Practice reciting the names of the artist and the painting.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Cousin Reginald is a bespectacled city boy featured in many of Norman Rockwell's paintings. Reginald travels to visit his mischievous cousins in the country to become the 'fish out of water.' In Norman Rockwell's 'Cousin Reginald Plays Pirates,' poor Reginald has been captured and bound by his wild pirate cousins. The main pirate jabs a finger in poor Reginald's face while wearing a black hat, red scarves, and a wooden sword. The seated boy wears a metal pot scrawled with 'Captain Kidd' and a Jolly Roger flag. The bare-chested third boy holds Reginald's rope leash and scowls. He has a black moustache and beard painted on his face. In the background, a dog rides on a small raft.

Vocabulary

Bespectacled: Wearing spectacles or glasses.
Mischievous: One making trouble in a playful way.
Bound: Tied up.
Pirate: A person who attacks and robs ships at sea.
Leash: A strap for restraining and guiding a dog or other animal.
Moustache: A strip of hair above the upper lip.
Beard: A growth of hair on the chin and lower cheeks of a man's face.
Raft: A floating structure of wood or other materials fastened together.

Concepts

1. Norman Rockwell was born in 1894 in New York City, New York.

2. Zoom in and find Rockwell's birth state on the map of the United States.

3. Rockwell painted brightly colored, oftentimes humorous snapshots of American life.
4. At times, Rockwell also portrayed serious social issues, such as the civil rights movement and school desegregation.
5. Between 1916 and 1963, Rockwell painted many covers for the Saturday Evening Post, a bimonthly American magazine.
6. Rockwell died in 1978 in Massachusetts at the age of 84.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Can You Find It?

During the week, study the painting and find the following:

• Sailboat
• Dog
• Water
• Red Handkerchiefs
• Wooden Sword
• Small Dagger
• Rope Leash
• Glasses
• Bare Feet
• Pot
• Jolly Roger

Activity 2: Narrate the Painting

• After studying the painting, narrate the scene shown in the painting aloud using your own words.

Activity 3: Complete Vocabulary Activities

• While studying the vocabulary words, point them out in the painting.
• Define each of the vocabulary words in your own words.

Activity 4: Color the Painting   

• Click the crayon above, and complete page 18 of 'First Grade Art History Coloring Book.'

Review

Question 1

Who are the characters in the painting?

1 / 5

Answer 1

The characters are Cousin Reginald and his mischievous country cousins.

1 / 5

Question 2

What is the setting of the painting?

2 / 5

Answer 2

Outdoors near a body of water.

2 / 5

Question 3

How many of Reginald's cousins are shown in the painting?

3 / 5

Answer 3

Three of Reginald’s cousins are shown in the painting.

3 / 5

Question 4

Do you think Cousin Reginald is having fun? Why or why not?

4 / 5

Answer 4

Answers will vary, but Reginald does not look as if he is enjoying himself.

4 / 5

Question 5

Why is the work titled 'Cousin Reginald Plays Pirates?'

5 / 5

Answer 5

Reginald's cousins have tied him up and are having him play the role of pirate's captive.

5 / 5

❮ ❯

1. Who are the characters in the painting? The characters are Cousin Reginald and his mischievous country cousins.
2. What is the setting of the painting? Outdoors near a body of water.
3. How many of Reginald's cousins are shown in the painting? Three of Reginald’s cousins are shown in the painting.
4. Do you think Cousin Reginald is having fun? Why or why not? Answers will vary, but Reginald does not look as if he is enjoying himself.
5. Why is the work titled 'Cousin Reginald Plays Pirates?' Reginald's cousins have tied him up and are having him play the role of pirate's captive.

References

'Norman Rockwell.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'Cousin Reginald Plays Pirates.' Wikiart. Wikiart.org. n.p.