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Edward Penfield
Edward Penfield

Edward Penfield

American, 1866 - 1925
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Edward Penfield 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.

His posters were bold and stood out from a distance with great clarity. As artists like Alphonse Mucha, Théophile Steinlen and Toulouse-Lautrec popularized the poster in Europe, Penfield accomplished the same feat in the United States. For his posters, Penfield utilized simple shapes and a limited palette of colors that lent themselves to the primitive methods of reproduction of the era.

204 items

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Orient cycles lead the leaders

Orient cycles lead the leaders (1890)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Outing, Illustrated Magazine of Sport Travel Adventure & Contry Life Edited by Caspar Whitney

Outing, Illustrated Magazine of Sport Travel Adventure & Contry Life Edited by Caspar Whitney (1890-1907)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Outing, the out of door magazine, edited by Caspar Whitney

Outing, the out of door magazine, edited by Caspar Whitney (1902)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Pastime stories by Thomas Nelson Page

Pastime stories by Thomas Nelson Page (1894)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
People We Pass Stories of Life among the Masses of New York City, By Julian Ralph

People We Pass Stories of Life among the Masses of New York City, By Julian Ralph (1896)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Perly-Cross, a novel by R. D. Blackmore.

Perly-Cross, a novel by R. D. Blackmore. (1890-1920)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Pony tracks, written & illustrated by Frederic Remington

Pony tracks, written & illustrated by Frederic Remington (1895)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Posters Calendar 1897

Posters Calendar 1897 (1897)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Princeton

Princeton (1907)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Princeton

Princeton (1908)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Ride a Stearns & be content

Ride a Stearns & be content (1896)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Root

Root (1915)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Scribner’s for January

Scribner’s for January (1900)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Scribner’s for October

Scribner’s for October (1907)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Stirring times in Austria described by Mark Twain in Harper’s March

Stirring times in Austria described by Mark Twain in Harper’s March (1898)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
The Christmas scribner’s

The Christmas scribner’s (1897)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
The coach was once king of the road — now it’s the Oldsmobile

The coach was once king of the road — now it’s the Oldsmobile (1910)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
The doughboys make good

The doughboys make good (1918)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
The Exiles & Other Stories by Richard Harding Davis

The Exiles & Other Stories by Richard Harding Davis (1894)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
The girl on the land serves the nation’s need Apply Y.W.C.A. Land Service Committee

The girl on the land serves the nation’s need Apply Y.W.C.A. Land Service Committee (1918)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
The Illustrated Sporting News. Christmas number

The Illustrated Sporting News. Christmas number (1890)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
The Last of the Knickerbockers

The Last of the Knickerbockers (1901)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
The Saturday evening post, June 8, 1907

The Saturday evening post, June 8, 1907 (1907)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
The Saturday evening post, November 24, 1906

The Saturday evening post, November 24, 1906 (1906)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
The Spanish American war in its political naval & military aspects by Senator Lodge, begins in Harper’s February

The Spanish American war in its political naval & military aspects by Senator Lodge, begins in Harper’s February (1890)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
The Summer-Porch Number of The Ladies’ Home Journal, August 1908

The Summer-Porch Number of The Ladies’ Home Journal, August 1908 (1908)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
The women’s conquest of New-York by a member of the Committee of Safety of 1908

The women’s conquest of New-York by a member of the Committee of Safety of 1908 (1908)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
Three gringos in Central America & Venezuela by Richard Harding Davis

Three gringos in Central America & Venezuela by Richard Harding Davis (1890)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
U of P

U of P (1908)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
U of P

U of P (1908)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Posters
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