The Illustrated Sporting News. Christmas Number
Technique: Giclée quality print
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This illustrated cover for "The Illustrated Sporting News Christmas Number" by Edward Penfield, a prominent figure in American lithography and graphic design, depicts a scene celebrating two key themes: sport and holiday festivity. The composition is structured in three primary layers, each distinctly emphasizing these themes.At the top, various sports are represented in a series of panels. Here, you can observe an array of activities including boxing, golfing, a horse-drawn racing cart, cricket, and tennis, showcasing the newspaper's range of sports coverage. The variety of sports and the active, dynamic poses of the figures convey motion and excitement, which was a common motif in Penfield’s work to encapsulate the energy and appeal of sporting activities.The middle section draws attention to a couple hanging a traditional festive garland, right above a cozy, glowing fireplace. This part of the illustration ties into the Christmas theme, where the man and woman, dressed in late 19th to early 20th century fashion, are sharing a quiet and intimate moment.
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Edward Penfield (1866-1925) was an influential American poster artist, considered as the father of the American poster movement. He was employed as an art editor for Harper’s Weekly, Monthly, and Harper’s Bazaar, where he made posters advertising each issue of the magazine for over seven years. His art was avant-garde with less concern for the dramatic curving lines of Art Nouveau, inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e block prints, figure drawings by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, color lithographies by Jules Chéret, and other contemporary artists. He created simplified scenes of daily life in saturated colors, including horses, cats, sports, and women’s fashion.