Barbara Moore’s reason for loving the painting was simple — it showed what she did for a living.
The painting is “Marriage License,” created by Norman Rockwell in 1955 for the Saturday Evening Post. The quaint, slice-of-life painting shows a town clerk dutifully preparing a marriage license for a young couple.
“Marriage License” was a prized possession for Moore, who served as Derby Town Clerk from 1991 to 2004 before passing away from cancer in 2007.
Now the painting hangs in the Derby Town Clerk’s office in City Hall, a donation from Barbara’s husband, Joe Moore, a part-time city worker.
“I know how much she cherished the picture,” Joe Moore said. “It was an honor for me for it to be accepted by the town clerk and hung in City Hall.”
Attached to the bottom of the frame is a plaque with an inscription dedicating the painting to Barbara.
Moore said his wife loved being town clerk. She started when Richard Grande was mayor.
The clerk’s office is the place where people come to get marriage licenses, birth certificates, licenses for their dogs. Moore loved dealing with the public.
Even on weekends and nights, Moore would come to the city clerk’s office to make copies of birth certificates for people going on vacation or signing up for activities. Her husband remembers the requests that would arrive at their doors at all hours of the day and night.
“The best one is when the police department banged on our door at 2 a.m. because someone needed a birth certificate,” said Joe. “And she came down to City Hall.”
Moore, along with former Town Clerk Joan Williamson, hold special places in current town clerk Laura Wabno’s heart.
Wabno became town clerk in 2004 2006 2005.
“Between her and Joan Williamson they made those first two years possible whenever I had a question or ran into a problem,” Wabno said. “(They were) always encouraging me and telling me time and time again that there is no shame in asking a question if you are not certain of the answer.”
The painting was purchased by Moore and her husband on a trip to Stockbridge, Mass. to see the Norman Rockwell museum. As a town clerk, Moore fell in love with the picture and displayed it proudly in her house.
