Tom Sawyer Detective by Mark Twain: 19th C. Framed Colored Poster
By Edward Penfield
Located in Alamo, CA
This lithographic colored advertising poster entitled "Tom Sawyer Detective, A New Story by Mark Twain" was created by Edward Penfield in 1897 for Harper & Brothers. The artist's signature appears in the plate in the lower left. The poster depicts a man in a long black bathing suit sitting with his knees up, aimlessly smoking a cigarette, but looking out of the corner of his eyes at a woman in a olive green dress and tan blouse and a black hat, who sits to his left with her head propped in her left hand and a bored or concerned look on her face. The look on the faces of the couple creates an air of mystery. The title of the book is printed in red in the upper left and the issue "Harper's August" in bold letters in the lower poster.
The poster promotes a new book by Mark Twain that was published initially in two issues of Harper's Monthly and also in book form by Harper & Brothers in 1896. It is a sequel to "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", published in 1876, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", published in 1884, and "Tom Sawyer Abroad", also published in 1894. The plot of the book involves Tom Sawyer attempting to solve a mysterious murder. The story is told using the first-person narrative voice of his friend Huck Finn...
Category
1890s Art Deco Atelier Prof. Kirnig Art