Girl with Blue and Black Feathered Hat by Harrison Fisher

Girl with Blue and Black Feathered Hat by Harrison Fisher

Created in 1908, published in 1910

Color Lithograph

This captivating color lithograph by Harrison Fisher masterfully encapsulates the sophisticated glamor and idealized feminine grace that defined the American illustration boom of the early twentieth century. Signed and dated 1908 near the bottom center, the piece depicts a delicate bust-length portrait of a stylish young woman turned in a three-quarter view, looking downward and to the right with a pensive, demure expression. Her soft, wavy auburn hair is swept up under an exceptionally large, wide-brimmed light blue hat. The dramatic headwear is crowned with a voluminous mass of dark feathers or plumes and is secured under her chin by a wide black fabric ribbon that cascades down the front of her chest. She wears an elegant white garment featuring delicate lace detailing around the collar, which blends softly into the surrounding composition. The central image is beautifully preserved on a heavy cream paper stock, encased within an ornate, blind-debossed geometric and floral border that enhances its presentation as a collectible print.

Born in Brooklyn to a multi-generational family of artists, Harrison Fisher (1875 to 1934) trained at the San Francisco Art Association before rising to absolute prominence in New York as a master magazine illustrator. Alongside contemporaries like Charles Dana Gibson and Howard Chandler Christy, Fisher defined the commercial aesthetic of the 1910s and 1920s, ultimately creating nearly every cover for Cosmopolitanmagazine from 1913 until his death. This specific 1908 piece is a prime, early example of his celebrated "Fisher Girl," the animated, graceful, and fashionable archetype that became the ultimate epitome of American female beauty during the pre-war period. This series of images captures the transition of Edwardian high fashion into mainstream media, demonstrating Fisher’s remarkable ability to illustrate intricate contemporary textiles, like sheer veils and bold plaids, with immense commercial appeal. Furthermore, given that a relative tragically burned approximately 800 of Fisher's original paintings upon his death, surviving period prints and originals from this peak era remain vital, scarce visual records of early 20th-century American illustration history.

Dimensions: H 10 ¾” x 7 ¼” W

Condition: In very good condition