Edward Penfield (American, 1866-1925) Woman with Hounds, The Saturday Evening Post cover, October 27, 1906 Watercolor on board 17 x 12 inches (43.2 x 30.5 cm) Initialed lower right: EP EXHIBITED: Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, "Norman Rockwell and the Artists of New Rochelle," May 19-October 27, 2002; The Dahesh Museum of Art, New York, "Stories to Tell: Masterworks from the Kelly Collection of American Illustration,"February 14-May 21, 2006. Edward Penfield is often called the father of American poster design, introducing a stripped-down approach to visual communication that emphasized bold silhouettes and flat planes of color—an aesthetic that influenced generations. This modern sensibility is on full display in his cover for the October 27, 1906 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Focused on a beautiful young woman in a riding coat, accompanied by two hounds rather than under the protection of a man, she appears poised, athletic, independent, and in command. She embodies the aesthetic of the New Woman while still appealing to mainstream tastes. Delicately balancing an embrace of changing social norms without overt political statements became a hallmark of cover art for The Saturday Evening Post, and this example by Penfield is an early standout in that tradition. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice