An original copy of Harper's Bazar, Thanksgiving 1894, with a cover designed by Louis John Rhead (1857–1926) — one of the most prominent poster artists working in America during the Art Nouveau period.
In the early 1890s, Rhead became a leading figure in the American poster craze, heavily influenced by the Swiss artist Eugène Grasset. His work appeared regularly across the Harper's publishing house titles, and an exhibition of his posters was organised by the Salon des Cent in Paris. Three of his designs were published in Les Maîtres de l'Affiche. In 1895 he won the Gold Medal for Best American Poster Design at the first International Poster Show in Boston. Artvee
CURATOR'S NOTE: The cover is one of the most visually complete examples of American Art Nouveau magazine design from the period. A red-haired female figure in a patterned dark dress holds a bowl of fruit beneath an orange grove; the background combines sinuous Japanese-inflected water forms with stylised corn and foliage. The palette — deep green, terracotta orange, slate lavender, and cream — is printed in full colour lithography, unusual for a magazine cover of this date and a direct reflection of the period's enthusiasm for the poster as art object. The design in poster format is held in the Leonard A. Lauder Collection of American Posters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Object Number 1984.1202.149), executed in lithograph and relief, sheet measuring 40.8 × 28.6 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Publisher: Harper & Brothers, New York
Date: Thanksgiving 1894
Cover artist: Louis John Rhead (1857–1926)
Format: Original magazine issue
Title: Harper's Bazar, November, Thanksgiving
Artist: Louis John Rhead (American (born England), Etruria 1857–1926 Amityville, New York)
Publisher: Harper's
Date: 1894
Medium: Lithograph and relief
Dimensions: Mount: 19 1/4 x 14 1/4 in. (48.9 x 36.2 cm)
Sheet: 16 1/16 × 11 1/4 in. (40.8 × 28.6 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Leonard A. Lauder Collection of American Posters, Gift of Leonard A. Lauder, 1984
Condition: 1894, antique...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Couture
