Lippincott - July

While continuing to train in Howard Pyle’s studio following her graduation from the Drexel Institute in 1896, Bertha Corson Day sent out a number of drawings to various publications, hoping to place her work. This watercolor was probably done independently, in hopes of getting a commission from Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine. Day uses the popular poster style of the period, incorporating only minimal forms, flat colors, and strong outlines. Lippincott’s was known to produce promotional posters for their upcoming issues—each one featuring the publication name, the month, and a figure holding a copy of the magazine. Day follows this formula, but makes the crucial mistake of leaving out the apostrophe and letter "s" in the publication’s title.