The Bookman for February (1900)

Frank Berkeley Smith is the artist behind "The Bookman for February", dated 1900. About the period around 1900: The first decades of the twentieth century were a period of rapid experiment, with Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, and the first abstract painting appearing within a few years of each other. Posters, magazines, and illustrated books were major ways for the public to meet new art and design. The catalogue places it in Vintage Posters. The format is landscape. Background on Vintage Posters: Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and later modernist design each left a recognisable poster style. Colour lithography in the 1890s turned the illustrated poster into a major art form, and cities such as Paris and Prague became centres of poster design.

Buying "The Bookman for February" means getting a digital file, not a physical print: Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI, delivered by email once payment is confirmed. A 300 DPI file is intended for printing at home or at a local print shop, where you can choose a matte, satin, or fine-art paper to suit the room. A landscape format suits wide, low wall spaces such as the stretch above a bed, mantel, or sideboard. Vintage posters bring character, graphic texture, and a collected feel to the room, while pairing easily with both contemporary furniture and eclectic styling. A simple frame with a mat often helps an image settle comfortably into a room. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size. Hang the print away from direct sunlight, which over the years can fade any printed colour. Choosing a standard frame size and printing to fit it often saves the cost of custom framing.

American, 1869–1931

If you like the visual language of Frank Berkeley Smith, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.