Edward Penfield Art
American, 1866-1925
One of the best of our native talents, Penfield is well-known for the decade 1891-1901, during which he was the art director of Harper's. For five of the ten years he produced posters for each month's issue of the then-popular magazine. His drawings are deceptively simple, with flat color and clear lines, but they always manage to convey class and refinement. And there's quite often a gentle touch of humor or irony, refreshing and frivolous. Penfield's posters are models of effective composition and economy of expression (Jack Rennert, PAI-XXVII, 555)
When his tenure at Harper's came to an end, Penfield was free to travel, and his experiences are preserved in two books published by Scribner's, Holland Sketches (1907) and Spanish Sketches (1911), in which his graphic sense blossomed in a wealth of detail. The critic Royal Cortissoz commented: "When he made [these], he entered thoroughly into the spirit of his themes and did some of his best work... He was never the technical virtuoso alone. Humanity was always breaking into his world." - Frederic B. Taraba
"We are a bit tired of the very serious nowadays, and a little frivolity is refreshing, and yet frivolity to be successful must be most thoroughly studied." So wrote EDWARD PENFIELD near the outset of his highly influential career as an illustrator, art editor, and poster artist, a career guided by keen observation, a cosmopolitan sensibility, and simplicity that belied his meticulously crafted efforts.
In looking at the work of Penfield today, we find less of what strikes us as frivolous and more of a keen sense of design and composition. The Art Center Bulletin of April 1925 remembered his contribution to illustrative art this way: "To everything he produced Penfield brought his great gifts of design and draftsmanship, a wonderful sincerity that never faltered, and a beautiful humbleness of spirit." As early as 1894, just a year and a half after Penfield began a series of monthly images for Harper's , his work was heralded by Publisher's Weekly: "The advertising poster has within recent years actually soared into the regions of art." Penfield is also credited with bringing abstraction to commercial art through his boldly simplified shapes. This and other stylistic trademarks resulted from a distillation of a number of influences, including the compositional precepts and casual poses found in Japanese prints, the hand-craftsmanship of the Arts and Crafts movement, the impressionistic approach of Parisian poster-making, and British poise and directness.to
5
14
10
10
10
4
4
3
1
Woman with Hounds, Original Cover for The Saturday Evening Post
By Edward Penfield
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Cover of The Saturday Evening Post, October 27, 1906
Edward Penfield, widely recognized as the father of American poster design, revolutionized visual communication with his minima...
Category
Early 1900s Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Board, Watercolor
Original Harper's Magazine vintage poster by Edward Penfield, 1895
By Edward Penfield
Located in Spokane, WA
Original. Harper's magazine poster. "On snow shoes to the barren grounds" Very old poster advertising the famous Harper's magazine. Artist Edward Penfield. Edward Penfield (1...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
$505 Sale Price
20% Off
Edward Penfield Harper's April 1896 Stone Lithograph Poster
By Edward Penfield
Located in Sharon, CT
Edward Penfield (1866-1925) Stone Lithograph Art Nouveau Poster of The Harper's April 1896 Edition. Depicting, in characteristic beautiful color and line, a stylish couple in coats and hats. Size of image: 17 1/2" x 12 7/8". Size of paper: 17 1/2" x 12 7/8". Signed in the stone image. Condition: damages to surface due to having been folded, as tiny tear...
Category
1890s American Art Nouveau Antique Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Paper
The Martian original art nouveau 1897 lithograph
By Edward Penfield
Located in Spokane, WA
Original poster: The Martian. Vintage 1897 lithograph by Edward Penfield. Reference: Kiehl 205, DFP-I 412.
Art nouveau, turn of the century America...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
$863 Sale Price
24% Off
Harper's July, The German Struggle for Liberty original art nouveau poster
By Edward Penfield
Located in Spokane, WA
Original Harper's July vintage poster; The German Struggle for Liberty. Original turn of the century lithograph by Edward Penfield. Size: 14 1/8" x 21 18"
Penfield created this poster to publicize Bigelow’s lengthy history of the Germanic people, serialized in the Monthly as “the first popular interpretation ever given to the rehabilitation of Germany through the uprising of the German people against the Napoleanic invasion.” July’s number began the series, which was published by Harper and Brothers as a two-volume set in 1896.
Harper's June 1895
HARPER’S The German Struggle for Liberty JULY
[Poster for Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Jul 1895]. German soldier at the guardhouse. Four-color lithograph: grey, blue, yellow, and red. New York: Harper & Brothers, published Jun 1895.
The magazine Harper's, issue of July, confronts the problems of The German Struggle for Liberty. Shown a German soldier in a helmet and armed with a rifle stands tall, and yet an uneasiness appears on his face. At a closer look, one will notice that not only does the soldier grasp his rifle in support, but in despair.
This Harper's July is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster is conservation mounted, linen backed. An restored fold mark across the middle of the image keeps this image from being rated higher (for an original 1895 poster).
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
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 Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
$2,300 Sale Price
20% Off
Orient Cycles by Edward Penfield, Bicycle motorcycle lithograph, 1897
By Edward Penfield
Located in Chicago, IL
The Waltham Manufacturing Company was co-founded in 1893 in New York by Charles Metz and three business partners. The company's designer, Metz, called his cycles “Orient racing bicycles,” named after the Orient Fire Insurance...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
Harper's August, Tom Sawyer Detective by Mark Twain by Edward Penfield, 1897
By Edward Penfield
Located in Chicago, IL
Lithograph of Edward Penfield’s 1897 advertisement for Mark Twain's short story, Tom Sawyer Detective (1896).
While this poster was printed in multiple siz...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
Harper's March
By Edward Penfield
Located in New York, NY
Poster for Harper's March, 1895. Woman in Green dress with Rabbit
New York: Harper & Brothers,1895. Signed in stone bottom right: EDWARD PENFIELD. On Linen. Color Zincograph. Very...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
Harper's May, 1895.
By Edward Penfield
Located in New York, NY
[Poster for Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, May 1895]. Woman in a blue dress with Harper’s, wandering through a flock of sheep. Color Zincograph. New York: Harper & Brothers,1895. Signed in stone bottom right: EDWARD PENFIELD.
Ref: Das Plakat...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
Harpers Magazine "March Hare" Maitres de l'Affiche
By Edward Penfield
Located in Hinsdale, IL
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 lowe...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
"Meadow Brook Cart" by Edward Penfield
By Edward Penfield
Located in Bristol, CT
Charming hand-colour plate c1900 by Edward Penfield (1866-1925) Carts Series No.1.
Print Sz:15 1/2"H x 22"W
Frame Sz: 20"H x 26"W
w/ Hermes orange mat
Category
Early 1900s Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
Belgian Automobile Troops Fighting German Dragoons, Collier's Cover
By Edward Penfield
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Ink, Watercolor, Gouache on Paper laid to Paperboad
Signature: Inscribed Collier's Cover Weekly/Sept. 1914/Belgian Automobile Troops/Fighting German Dragoons (on the reverse)...
Category
1910s Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
President Cleveland, Saturday Evening Post Cover
By Edward Penfield
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Watercolor on Paper Laid to Board
Signature: Signed Lower Left
Saturday Evening Post Cover, June 20, 1908
Edward Penfield produced some of America’s finest posters. His clean style and large silhouetted shapes resulted from much careful preliminary refinement and elimination of detail. Horses and coaches were a favorite subject with him, as typified with his picture of the colonial Post Road. A notable series of his illustrations were contained in his book, Holland Sketches...
Category
Early 1900s Other Art Style Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Board
Related Items
VintageJean Cocteau Original Stone Lithograph Poster Custom Framed
By Jean Cocteau, Mourlot
Located in North Miami, FL
This original and authentic Mid-Century Modern French stone lithograph designed by Jean Cocteau from the 1950s is for a ceramic exhibition of his pieces at Galerie Pont de Arts in th...
Category
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Wood, Paper
Vintage French Fashion Poster
Located in London, GB
Vintage French fashion poster, original lithograph, by Jean Choiselat, (1947). Take a step back to the 1940s to immerse yourself in the surprising work ...
Category
1940s Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
$385 Sale Price
30% Off
H 20.87 in W 15.56 in
Thomas (Lancelot Healing Sir Urre)
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Salvador Dali
Title: Thomas (Lancelot Healing Sir Urre)
Portfolio: 1972 The Twelve Apostles (Knights of the Round Table)
Medium: Lithograph
Year: 1972
Edition: 38/350
Frame S...
Category
1970s Surrealist Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
Pigging Out at the Diner, Surreal Anthropomorphic Pig Satirical Illustration
Located in Soquel, CA
A satirical, surreal depiction of a pig at a lunch counter by an unknown artist (20th Century). This scene, full of symbols and satire, portrays the anth...
Category
Late 20th Century Surrealist Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Oil, Illustration Board
$680 Sale Price
20% Off
H 28.5 in W 20 in D 2 in
Original Cappiello Caricatures Affiches Paris Grand Palais exhibition poster
By Leonetto Cappiello
Located in Spokane, WA
Original Vintage 1981 Cappiello Exhibition Poster held at the Paris Grand Palais.
Celebrating the Iconic Artwork of Leonetto Cappiello. Linen backed in very good condition without an...
Category
1980s Art Deco Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
$250
H 23.75 in W 25.5 in D 0.3 in
Le Théâtrophone - Vintage Art Nouveau Lithograph Poster by Jules Cheret
By Jules Chéret
Located in East Quogue, NY
Limited-edition vintage lithographic reproduction poster of "Le Théâtrophone" by Jules Cheret, published in 1968 by The Sunday Times (London).
The print is offered unframed. Ship...
Category
Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Antique Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Paper
$275
H 29 in W 20 in D 0.25 in
Running Horses Abstract Impressionist Oil Painting
Located in Rochester, NY
"Horses Running", a bold abstract impressionist oil painting with heavy impasto. By Sheila Hedricks. Oil on board. In a period hand...
Category
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Oil, Board
Hand-signed and numbered "Rat" lithograph from "No Gas Portfolio" by Red Grooms
By Red Grooms
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Rat" lithograph from 1971 "No Gas" portfolio by Red Grooms. Hand-signed AP Red Grooms inside blue of Clorox bottle on front lower right. Image size: 22 x 27 1/2 inches. Depicts a N...
Category
1970s Contemporary Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
$3,500
H 29.25 in W 35.25 in
Hand-signed "Local" lithograph by Red Grooms from the 1971 "No Gas" portfolio
By Red Grooms
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Local" lithograph by Red Grooms from the 1971 "No Gas" portfolio. Hand-signed AP Red Grooms in policeman's left shoe in bottom lower right of image. Depicts people on subway.
Category
1970s Contemporary Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
$3,500
H 28.75 in W 34.5 in
Torero and Bull bullfighter bullfighting oil painting
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Title: Torero and Bull
Artist: José María Tuser Vázquez (1919-1986)
Technique: Oil on canvas mounted on board
Dimensions: 18.9 x 15 inches
Framing: Unframed
Art Movement: Costumbrismo, Figurative Expressionism
Theme: Bullfighting
Date of Creation: Second half of the 20th century
DESCRIPTION
The painting Torero and Bull depicts a classic bullfighting scene, where a matador, elegantly dressed in a golden and violet traje de luces, performs a pass with the cape while the bull, wounded with banderillas, bows toward the ground. The composition conveys dynamism and tension, emphasizing the drama of the moment with loose and expressive brushstrokes.
The background is rendered in warm, diffused tones, contrasting with the deep black of the bull and the vivid hues of the cape. The thick brushwork and vibrant oil application enhance the sense of movement and emotion in the scene, a distinctive feature of Tuser Vázquez’s bullfighting paintings.
ARTIST'S BIOGRAPHY
José María Tuser Vázquez (Barcelona, 1919 - 1986) was a Spanish painter specializing in bullfighting themes. He trained at the School of Arts and Crafts in Barcelona, where he developed a strong foundation in drawing and painting. From 1947 onwards, he dedicated his artistic production to tauromaquia, creating posters, illustrations, and paintings that captured the intensity of the bullfighting spectacle.
He was a regular contributor to the magazine El Ruedo and designed a series of postcards featuring traditional Spanish costumes for Editorial Artigas in the 1940s. His work has been auctioned numerous times and is highly valued by collectors of bullfighting art...
Category
1960s Expressionist Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Board
$600 Sale Price
50% Off
H 18.9 in W 14.97 in
Roy Lichtenstein Girl from 1¢ Life
By Roy Lichtenstein
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Roy Lichtenstein
Title: Girl
Portfolio: 1¢ Life
Medium: Lithograph on white wove paper
Date: 1964
Edition: 2000
Frame Size: 20 3/4" x 18 5/8"
Sheet Size: 16 1/4" x 11 1/2"
Im...
Category
1960s Pop Art Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
L'atelier de Cannes
By Pablo Picasso
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) - L'atelier de Cannes
Lithograph from 1958.
On Arches paper.
Dimensions of work: 44.8 x 33.4 cm.
Plate signed.
It's an enhanced version of the first st...
Category
1950s Modern Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
Previously Available Items
Young Lady and Two Cats (Harper's) - Lithograph (Les Maîtres de l'Affiche), 1897
By Edward Penfield
Located in Paris, IDF
Edward PENFIELD (1866-1925)
Young Lady and Two Cats (Harper's), 1897
Original lithograph
Printed signature in the plate
On vellum
Size 39 x 29 cm (c. 15.3 x 11.4")
INFORMATION : P...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
Young Lady and Two Cats (Harper's) - Lithograph (Les Maîtres de l'Affiche), 1897
By Edward Penfield
Located in Paris, IDF
Edward PENFIELD (1866-1925)
Young Lady and Two Cats (Harper's), 1897
Stone ithograph
Printed signature in the plate
On vellum
Size 39 x 29 cm (c. 15.3 x 11.4")
INFORMATION : Plate...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
Young Lady and Two Cats (Harper's) - Lithograph (Les Maîtres de l'Affiche), 1897
By Edward Penfield
Located in Paris, IDF
Edward PENFIELD (1866-1925)
Young Lady and Two Cats (Harper's), 1897
Stone ithograph
Printed signature in the plate
On vellum
Size 39 x 29 cm (c. 15.3 x 11.4")
INFORMATION : Plate...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
Harper's Christmas Poster by Penfield
By Edward Penfield
Located in Paonia, CO
Harper's Christmas poster for Harper's Monthly Magazine is a three color lithograph published by Harper & Brothers , New York., 1895. Father Chris...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph
Policeman on Horseback
By Edward Penfield
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Magazine Cover of a policeman on horseback.
Edward Penfield produced some of America’s finest posters. His clean style and large silhouetted shapes resulted from much careful preliminary refinement and elimination of detail. Horses and coaches were a favorite subject with him, as typified with his picture of the colonial Post Road. A notable series of his illustrations were contained in his book, Holland Sketches...
Category
1910s Other Art Style Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Board, Oil
Original vintage advertising poster for Harper's June 1896 by Edward Penfield
By Edward Penfield
Located in London, GB
Original vintage advertising poster for the June 1896 issue of Harper's by the leading American illustrator and graphic designer, Edward Penfield (1866-1925). Framed. Good condition,...
Category
19th Century American Antique Edward Penfield Art
Materials
Lithograph, Paper
Edward Penfield art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Edward Penfield art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Edward Penfield in lithograph, paint, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 19th century and is mostly associated with the Art Deco style. Not every interior allows for large Edward Penfield art, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Eugene Grasset, Charles Herbert Woodbury, and Aleardo Terzi. Edward Penfield art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $330 and tops out at $59,000, while the average work can sell for $1,500.