Harper’s [for] April
1890
![Harper’s [for] April by Edward Penfield, 1890](https://www.thequadro.com/api/storage/artworks/thumb/l/edward-penfield/edward-penfield_harper-s-for-april_ae0fa73f)
Edward Penfield essentially invented the modern American poster with this 1890 design for Harper's Magazine, capturing the cool, detached vibe of city life. Notice the clever 'meta' moment: two stylishly dressed figures—a man in a bowler hat clutching a cane and a woman in a sweeping green cape—are standing right in front of the advertisement for the very magazine they represent. The flat, bold colors and simplified shapes were a radical departure from the cluttered Victorian art of the time, borrowing heavily from Japanese woodblock prints. As the art director for Harper's, Penfield's graphic style became so iconic that it helped define the visual look of the 1890s.
- Technique
- Color lithograph
- Material
- Paper
Location: Library of Congress