Elegant is a word closely associated with the art of Edward Penfield. The hallmarks of his illustrations are simplified silhouettes, minimal detail, and clean lines. Penfield created designs for magazines, books, and calendars, but his most important work was his posters. A master craftsman, through the elimination of detail and extensive refinement Penfield produced some of America's finest posters. He was one of a vanguard of American image makers who fundamentally altered the practice of graphic art. Critics and fellow artists of his day recognized his influence, and historians continue to credit his contributions today. Penfield helped establish "Americanism" in graphic art.

Edward Penfield was born on 2 June 1866 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of Ellen Lock Moore, a native of England, and Josiah Penfield, a resident of Rye, New York. Penfield studied intermittently at the Art Students League from 1889 to 1895. There, under the tutelage of...