Artvee
  • Browse
    • Abstract
    • Figurative
    • Landscape
    • Illustration
    • Posters
    • Religion
    • Mythology
    • Drawings
    • Still Life
    • Animals
    • Botanical
    • Asian Art
  • Books
  • Artists
  • Explore
    • Topics
    • Culture
    • Movements
  • Highlights
  • Collections
  • Galleries
  • Artvee Pro
Login
Artvee
Menu
Edward Penfield - Collier’s August
Close
Edward Penfield

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.

More Artworks by Edward Penfield (View all 204 Artworks)

Aetna dynamite

Aetna dynamite (1895)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Harper’s January

Harper’s January (1895)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Metropolitan for July

Metropolitan for July (1900)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
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)
Woman sitting on a chair holding a book with a cat looking on.

Woman sitting on a chair holding a book with a cat looking on. (1890-1920)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Harper’s November

Harper’s November (1896)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Harper’s [for] April

Harper’s [for] April (1894)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Harper’s 1897. January number contains

Harper’s 1897. January number contains (1897)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Root

Root (1915)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
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)
Harper’s September

Harper’s September (1895)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Orient cycles lead the leaders

Orient cycles lead the leaders (1890)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Harper’s November

Harper’s November (1895)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Harper’s September

Harper’s September (1893)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Harper’s November

Harper’s November (1897)

Edward Penfield (American, 1866 - 1925)
Load MoreLoading...
View all 204 Artworks

0 Artworks
Follow
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Favourite
Collect

Standard, JPG, Size:

Download

Max Size, JPG, Size:

Download
License: All public domain files can be freely used for personal and commercial projects. .
Why is this image in the public domain?
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Contact us
Artvee.com 2024 All Rights Reserved
We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By browsing this website, you agree to our use of cookies.
More info Accept
  • Sign in
  • Browse
    • Abstract
    • Figurative
    • Landscape
    • Illustration
    • Posters
    • Religion
    • Mythology
    • Drawings
    • Still Life
    • Animals
    • Botanical
    • Asian Art
  • Artists
  • Books
  • Explore
    • Topics
    • Culture
    • Movements
  • Highlights
  • Collections
  • Galleries
  • Artvee Pro