Lot 138

Maxfield Parrish, The Century / Midsummer Holiday Number. 1897.

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Maxfield Parrish, The Century / Midsummer Holiday Number. 1897.

Estimate: $1,500 - $2,000

Starting Bid: $1,100

(0 Bids)

by Swann Auction Galleries
July 30, 2026 12:00 PM EDT
Live Auction
104 East 25th Street
New York, NY, US 10010

Maxfield Parrish
1870-1966
The Century / Midsummer Holiday Number. 1897.

Condition A / A-: small tears and minor creases at edges; hinged to mat at top. Paper. Matted and framed.

Most famous for his children's book illustrations, Parrish was nonetheless a "remarkable draughtsman, who energetically and successfully mixed fantasy and reality to create a luminous dream world that, for all its strangeness, is precisely rendered" (Parrish intro). He studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and then at the Drexel Institute under Howard Pyle. His posters were more illustrative and detailed than those of Edward Penfield and Will Bradley, and marked by what Charles Hiatt referred to as "curious individuality." Parrish won second prize in The Century's 1896 poster contest with this entry. He might very well have won first (which went to J.C. Leyendecker), but "entries had been restricted to three colors, and Parrish, an avid experimenter with the new half-tone process, employed five" (Margolin p. 20).

Kiehl 134, DFP-I 317, Margolin p. 19 & 51, Maitres pl. 123, American Posters no. 55, The American Poster p. 15, Virginia p. 6, Weill 126, La Femme 67, American Style 49, Crystal Palace 701, Art of Parrish 419, Art Nouveau p. 199.

  • Dimensions: 20x13½ inches, 51¾x34¼ cm. The Thomas & Wylie Lithographic Co., New York.
  • Condition: Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

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$150 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $5,999 $200
$6,000 $9,999 $500
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