Edward Mason Eggleston

This article is about the painter and illustrator. For the historian and writer, see Edward Eggleston.
Edward Mason Eggleston
Edward M. Eggleston in 1937, painting an Image used for the Great Lakes Exposition posters and pamphlets.
Born(1882-11-22)November 22, 1882[1]
Ashtabula, Ohio[2]
DiedJanuary 14, 1941(1941-01-14) (aged 58)[3]
New York City
Alma materColumbus Art School
Known forStorytelling images, fashion and fantasy images, portraits, calendar and advertising illustrations
MovementArt Deco, Genre painting, Fantasy art
Edward Mason Eggleston, signature from artwork, 1919
Art Deco examples
Smiling Through, painting by Edward M. Eggleston
Although not all of Eggleston’s may be considered Art Deco, he did create pieces with elements of the genre, including bright colors, abstracted florals, clean lines, sweeping curves and geometric shapes.
Atlantic City poster, Pennsylvania Railroad
Art Deco depicts the modern. Here, modern living, modern choice of clothes, solid buildings with geometric shapes and clean lines.

Edward Mason Eggleston (22 November 1882 – 14 January 1941) was an American painter who specialized in calendar portraits of women, fashionable and fantastic. He was also a well known commercial illustrator doing work for companies such as the Fisk Tire Company, the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the Great Lakes Exposition.

He attended the Columbus Art School in Columbus, Ohio and moved to New York about 1915, where he worked to illustrate magazine covers, travel posters, advertisements and calendars.[2][4] He worked primarily with oil paints on canvas, and also with pastels, water colors, and gouache.[5]

Eggleston tapped into an American trend toward escapist fantasy during the Great Depression years of the 1930s.[6][7] Described as "storytelling," his calendar works focused on women in stylish and fashionable dresses and hats, swimwear, or costumed as Native-American women, "Egyptian goddesses," pirate girls, and women in the character of Peter Pan.[2][6][5]

  1. ^ "Edward M Eggleston in the U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918". ancestry.com. Retrieved April 5, 2020. Name: Edward M Eggleston Race: White Birth Date: 22 Nov 1882 Street address: 1722 Caton Ave. Residence Place: Brooklyn, Kings, New York, USA Relative: Mrs Ethel Grace Eggleston Present occupation:Illustrator (Commercial)
  2. ^ a b c Smith, Tim; Smith, Michelle (2009). Joliet's Gerlach Barklow Calendar Company. Arcadia Publishing. p. 113. ISBN 9780738577265. ...best known for his images of Indian maidens, pirate girls, and bathing girls in swimsuits, as well as Peter Pan images.
  3. ^ "Edward Eggleston in the New York, Death Index, 1852-1956". ancestry.com. Retrieved April 5, 2020. Name: Edward Eggleston Age: 59 Birth Date: abt 1882 Death Date: 14 Jan 1941 Death Place: New York, New York, USA
  4. ^ Grafton, Carol Belanger (April 15, 2010). 60 Great Travel Posters. Courier Corporation. p. 61. ISBN 9780486990422. – Pennsylvania Railroad travel poster
  5. ^ a b "You Are The One". shhboomgallery.com. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference dibs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference grapemoon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).