Evening star., 1936-05-23
By Leila Mechin.


consists of original works by Amer
ican illustrators. This was inaug-
urated by DR.. Leicester B. Holland,
head of this department, and has been
largely built up by gifts. Covering a
period now of several years, exhibi-
tions have been held of group acquisi-
tions In this field, such as the works
Of w. A. Rogers. E. w. Kemble, Stan
ley Reinhart, Alice Barber Stevens
and others. OF late the Cabinet"
has been further enriched by a COL
lection of original drawings in black
and white and color by Edward Pen
field, given by his widow, with the ex-
ception of six items contributed by
Charles Scribner's Sons. These works
have now been placed on exhibition
in cases in the south-curtain hall as
signed to the uses of the Art Depart
ment, on the second floor of the Lii
brary Of Congress. Like all of it's
predecessors, this exhibition recalled
the hey-day of Illustration in this
country and inclines one to wonder
why 1t ever was allowed to pass out.
Edward Penfield was born in Brook
lyn, New York, in 1866, and lived until
1925. He, therefore, belonged in a
measure to both the old and new era
During his lifetime, the art of wood
engraving attained its greatest height,
and the art of illustration its greatest
vogue. He witnessed the introduction
of the half-tone process which super
eadad ho papno6o 1inn a
saw color printing come into use, along
with the development of modern ad-
Vertising methods.
In fact, he had more than a little
to do himself with bringing about
these changes. AT the age Of "a, after
having studied "at the Art Students
League in New York. he became art
editor of Harper's Magazine, a posi-
ton which a year later he assumed
also for Harper's Weekly and Har-
per's Bazaar. 1t was during the 10
years of this art editorship that he
began making posters to advertise
these publications.
1T is not violating a secret in the
artists world" wrote w. A. Rogers in
his autobiography, "A World Worth
While" Ito say that Edward Penfield
was the first man in America to make
"One day, while looking over a port
folio of French posters in shop quite
near the Seine in Paris, came across
a group of Penfleld's posters made
to advertise Harper's Magazine The
shopkeeper informed me that they
were held in very high esteem by the
many French painters and illustrators
who frequented his store"
C. Belmont Davis, writing about
Penfield in the Critic in 1897, said:
He Is one of the very best designers
of posters in the world. At least,
that is what they say Of him in Lon
don and Paris where his work is
clasSed with that of Creret, Caran
d'Ache, Steinlen, Dudley Hardy and
Nicholson"
But let none 60 to see this exhibi-
tion of Edward Penfeld's work with
the expectation of finding there post
YRS which scream at the visitor across
snent awaits. Penfield's posters, as
might be inferred from the above,
were essentially artistic expressions
and counted on impressing through
merit and charm rather than through
shock and sensation. They were SIM
pie and direct in treatment, and they
not only attracted, but held the eye.
They were not very large and never
bizarre. They were displayed on
newsstands and in shop windows
they advertised the publications to
buyers-and what happened was that
after a comparatively brief existence
they were transferred to the covers
of the magazines, and thus came into
vogue our pictorial magazine covers.
After all, it was not SO long step
from one to the other, but to induce
the most conservative of publishers to
make SO radical a change must have
required something like genius.
Edward Penfield was not merely an
lnnovator, and the father of poster art
in America; he was an excellent illus
traitor, and after 10 years of art
editing he resigned his position with
the Harpers and gave himself to the
happy business Of writing and illus
trating books. Holland Sketches"
,Q907 and Spanish Sketches" Q91D,
both published first serially in Scrib-
ner's Magazine, and then in book
form, were perhaps his most success
full ventures in this field, but he also
did illustrations for articles both by
himself and others as opportunity
offered or inclination induced. Quite
q number Of the works now on view
ut the Library of Congress recall his
travels in Holland and in Spain. |
There Is a Holland scene, oddly |
enough, rendered in color in amazing
Imitation Of the style of the Japanese
printmakers. japanese prints found
their way into Europe via Holland, it |
Will be remembered. Another interest
Ing example Is sketch in color
very charming and unusual color-of
the stately procession with which a
Spanish bullflght had its inception.
A study Of blue-coated coachman
driving an old-fashioned coupe, recalls
two articles written and illustrated
by Penfield on THE Ancestory of the
Coach" both of which were published |
In Outing"
The variety Of the work exhibited is
noteworthy. Some belongs to stu
dent days and is rather conventional, |
well done, competent, bat not ap-
parently inspired. Then the young
artist found himself and his later
work Is seen to have marked distinc-
tion.
Illustration was a fertile field for
young artists during the last quarter
OF the nineteenth century. winslow
Homer, 1t will be remembered, was a
staff artist for Harper's Weekly, kept
busy recording with pencil and brush
incidents Of contemporary life, as are
the staff photographers today with
and camera. Abbey was
m illustrator before he was a painter,
and perhaps greater ss such than as
the producer of great canvases. John
1