Poster Calendar 1897 - Edward Penfield

Penfield's poster calendar for 1897, combining his graphic style with a functional calendar layout. Poster calendars were popular collectibles that gave advertising art a longer shelf life than a single-issue magazine poster, remaining on display for an entire year.

Historical context

Calendar art was a commercial niche that bridged fine art and advertising. Unlike a magazine poster (which was discarded when the next issue appeared or a new poster was pasted over it), a calendar remained on the wall for twelve months. This gave advertisers extended brand exposure and gave artists a format with less rigid constraints than the monthly magazine poster cycle.

Penfield's calendar designs were popular enough to be sold as standalone products, separate from any magazine or product promotion. They represent a transition point in his career: from advertising art (where the poster existed to sell something else) to decorative art (where the poster was itself the product). By 1897, Penfield's name on a calendar was enough to sell it, regardless of what brand it might or might not promote. This was a significant shift in how commercial illustration was valued.

About Edward Penfield (1866–1925)

Often called the father of the American poster, Penfield served as art director of Harper's Magazine from 1890 to 1901, producing over 100 cover designs during that period. His style drew on Japanese woodblock printing and the French affiche tradition: flat areas of colour, bold outlines, and minimal detail. He became one of the most recognised illustrators of the American Art Nouveau movement, and his wartime posters remain some of the most widely studied examples of early 20th-century graphic propaganda.

This fine art reproduction is printed on museum-grade stock, faithful to the original's bold colours and graphic simplicity.