Edward Penfield
Harpers Magazine "March Hare" Maitres de l'Affiche
1894

Name: Harpers Magazine "March Hare" Maitres de l'Affiche
Brand: Edward Penfield
Price: 450 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

PENFIELD, FERDINAND (1866 - 1922) Harper’s Magazine - March Original lithograph from "Les Maitres de L'Affiche" series Printed by Imprimerie Chaix, Paris Bearing MDL stamp lower right, from issue #29, 1896. Plate #115 Unframed Size: 11 3/8 x 15 3/4” The "Les Maitres de l'Affiche" series was offered as a subscription series to collectors every month for 60 months, from December 1895 through November 1900. The "Maitres de l'Affiche," were issued as separate numbered sheets, referred to as "plates". They were numbered, with the printers name "Imprimerie Chaix," in the margin at the bottom left hand corner, "PL.1" to "PL.240." In the margin at the bottom right hand corner of each, is a blind embossed stamp from a design of Cheret's. The smaller format and the fact the "Maitres" were a paid subscription series, allowed Imprimerie Chaix to use the latest state of the art printing techniques, not normally used in the large format posters due to cost. A very high quality of paper was used, where as the large format posters were printed on lesser quality newsprint, due to cost and a short expected life span. This explains why the quality of the printing, in the "Maitres de l'Affiche," usually far exceeds that of their larger counterparts. "During his tenure as art director for Harper's (1893-99), Penfield created a new poster for every month's issue, yet never seemed to run out of fresh ideas. This is one of his most inspired. The woman holds two obviously pampered cats who rejoice at the attention; the woman, however, appears almost disconcerted, not quite sure where, or if, to put them down. The image has an extraordinary domestic charm and remains one of the most highly sought among collectors of American poster art" (Gold p.73) "Of this whole series, the May poster, of the girl with two Angora cats has, perhaps, the greatest and lasting charm. Its quaint originality and the absolute informality of its subject and the extraordinary simplicity of its treatment makes it a poster that one remembers for years after it has been put away " (C. Matlack Price, p.219, 220) Edward Penfield was born 2 Jun 1866 a post-war ‘baby boomer’ in Brooklyn, New York to Ellen Lock Moore and Josiah B. Penfield. He received his elementary education in Brooklyn, was cared for by his mother, and sometimes studied at home. As he grew up, he decided to carry on in his uncle Henry’s footsteps — to be an artist. Penfield’s first published work appears in Harper’s Weekly, 1891. He started out on staff under the guidance of Frederick B. Schell, Horace Bradley and Arthur B. Turnure, cleaning up and inking field artists’ sketches, executing small spot illustrations from photos, and earning his craft under the strict weekly deadlines of the paper. His first signed work in the Monthly appears in an article by Dr John C. Van Dyke about the Art Students League, which appeared in the Month, 1891 issue of the Monthly Magazine. Horace Bradley had connections with the school, and promoted it as a source of fresh new talent. The young Penfield had been summoned by the Harpers to guide their publications toward the new age. He was to return to New York from Paris immediately to head up their art department in place of Frederick Schell. It was a position which included work not only for Harper & Brother’s book publishing, but also for the ‘Big Four’—their magazines Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Harper’s Weekly, Harper’s Bazar and Harper’s Young People.

Creator:

Edward Penfield (1866 - 1925, American)

Creation Year:

1894

Dimensions:

Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)Width: 14.5 in (36.83 cm)Depth: 0.5 in (1.27 cm)

More Editions & Sizes:

Edition unknownPrice: $450

Medium:

Lithograph

Movement & Style:

Art Nouveau