A young girl, draped in a United States Army coat, crouches amid the rubble and devastation of wartime Italy, her hands folded in gratitude over the modest meal resting on her lap.

 On November 27, 1943, during the height of World War II (1939–1945), a reproduction of this painting appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post, reminding readers to think of those less fortunate during the holiday of Thanksgiving.

The model for the painting was 13-year-old Aline Ponton from Vermont, one of more than 500 girls photographed by Norman Rockwell for this composition. 

She was paid $10 for her photograph and only discovered that her image had been chosen for the final painting when the issue of the Saturday Evening Post arrived at her home.