Harper’s Christmas
1894
Edward Penfield, the art director for Harper's Magazine, designed this lively poster to promote the Christmas issue, capturing the holiday spirit with a distinctively modern flair for the 1890s. Instead of a traditional nativity, a jolly Santa Claus in bright red raises a glass in a toast beside a stylish woman in black, showcasing the bold, flat colors that defined the American poster craze. The three wreaths at the top cleverly display the magazine covers themselves, acting as a preview for stories by literary giants like William Dean Howells. Penfield's graphic style was so influential that fans would literally tear these posters off street walls to add to their personal collections.