Study for Harper's August
Penfield often depicted activities newly popular with the leisure class in his posters for Harper’s magazine. In this study for the poster advertising the August 1894 issue, a fashionable woman purchases a bathing suit from a stand—beach-going was one such popular activity—while clutching a Harper’s magazine by her side. It contains the hallmarks of Penfield’s style, including a sparse composition made up of flat planes of color and lettering done by hand rather than letterpress, as was typical of posters at the time. The study provides a glimpse into poster production in the 1890s, when publishing firms such as Harper’s spearheaded technical and stylistic innovations in the field of graphic design.
Artwork Details
- Title: Study for Harper's August
- Artist: Edward Penfield (American, Brooklyn, New York 1866–1925 Beacon, New York)
- Date: 1894
- Medium: Ink, watercolor, and gouache
- Dimensions: Sheet: 9 7/16 × 7 1/2 in. (24 × 19 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Leonard A. Lauder Collection of American Posters, Gift of Leonard A. Lauder, 2023
- Object Number: 2023.422
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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