Edward Penfield, Harper's May from Les Maîtres de L'Affiche, 1898, Original Lithograph

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Edward penfield (1866-1925)

harper's may

year of ideation: 1897
year of printing: 1898
lithograph on wove paper
publisher: chaix

signed … Read more Edward penfield (1866-1925)

harper's may

year of ideation: 1897
year of printing: 1898
lithograph on wove paper
publisher: chaix

signed in the plate, lower right

from the famous collection "les maîtres de l'affiche"
issue # 29, plate #115, april 1898

bottom left:
les maîtres de l'affiche pl. 115
imprimerie chaix
(encres lorilleux & cie.)

bottom right, blind stamp of publisher / edition

very good condition

literature:
"the complete masters of the poster", edited by stanley appelbaum, dover, new york, 1990, p. 115
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about the collection "les maîtres de l'affiche"

les maîtres de l'affiche (the masters of the poster) is one of the most prestigious and influential art publications in history its 256 color plates have preserved for each succeeding generation a wide-ranging selection of outstanding posters from the turn of the century, when that popular art form had reached its first peak.

the earliest printed posters were chiefly typographic, with relatively few illustrated examples. But in the second half of the nineteenth century, when all types of commercial products, including printed matter, were being aesthetically upgraded, largely thanks to various arts-and-crafts movements, serious artists such as manet began to see new possibilities in the poster medium. It was especially jules chéret (1836-1932) whose unique combination of artistic, technical and entrepreneurial talents was to pave the way for a true poster industry. After chéret opened his own print shop in paris in 1866, his work continued to inspire numerous emulators in europe and america. From 1881 on, his shop operated as a branch of the large chaix firm (imprimerie chaix)

by the 1890s the streets of every great metropolis were enlivened by large, colourful posters.
this chaix publication, les maîtres de l'affiche, was issued as separate numbered sheets measuring 40 x 29 cm. Every month for 60 months, from december 1895 through november 1900, subscribers received a wrapper containing four consecutively numbered poster. On 16 occasions the monthly wrapper also contained a bonus plate, a specially created art lithograph. Jules chéret, artistic director of chaix and father of the modern poster, emerged with the lion's share of the plates, one chéret being included in each monthly issue of four, and seven of the 16 unnumbered bonus plates.

of the 97 artists represented in les maîtres de l'affiche, some were preeminent painters and printmakers at various stages of their careers: toulouse-lautrec, denis, bonnard, vallotton, puvis de chavannes. Others were famous illustrators and cartoonists of the period, still well known to art collectors and bibliophiles. Forain, caran d'ache, ibels, willette, boutet de monvel, léandre. But there were also all those whose names say "poster," the conquering pioneers of the new medium. Chéret himself, mucha, steinlen, the beggarstaffs, grasset, penfield, parrish, bradley, hardy the list could go on and on.
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about the artist, the mucha and toulouse-lautrec of america

edward penfield (1866 – 1925) was an american illustrator in the era known as the "golden age of american illustration" and he is considered the father of the american poster. His work has been included in almost every major book on american illustration or the history of the poster. He is also a major figure in the evolution of graphic design.

he was born june 2, 1866, in brooklyn, new york, to ellen lock moore and josiah b. Penfield. He first studied at new york's art students league. He worked under george de forest brush, who was known for his romantic scenes of american indian life. He first worked for harper's weekly and later became art director. He developed his own unique style of simplified figures with bold outlines in settings free of extraneous detail. He believed, "a design that needs study is not a poster, no matter how well executed." he wrote and published a book titled holland sketches, which was published by scribner's in 1907.

penfield lived in new rochelle, new york, a popular art colony among actors, writers and artists of the period. The community was most well known for its unprecedented number of prominent american illustrators. He was one of the founding members of the new rochelle art association which was organized in 1912.

poster designs
his posters were bold and stood out from a distance with great clarity. As artists like alphonse mucha, théophile steinlen and toulouse-lautrec popularised the poster in europe, penfield accomplished the same feat in the united states. For his posters, penfield utilised simple shapes and a limited palette of colours that lent themselves to the primitive methods of reproduction of the era.
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important:

. The listing is for the original lithograph.
. The cover of the issue by jules chéret is shown for reference.
this piece has an attribution mark,
i am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity
issues arising from misattribution See less