Edward Mason Eggleston (1882-1941) was an American artist from Ohio, where he studied at the Columbus Art School and made a career in New York. He created mostly in oil with an addition of gouache, pastels, and watercolors. Eggleston achieved his artistic peak in the 1920s and 1930s in the so-called Golden Age of illustration, specializing in calendars with women in exotic and fantastic scenery. These women were fashionably and provocatively dressed, in most cases with red hair, often in imaginative costumes, in tune with the artistic trends pushing the limits of aesthetics, on the edge between commercial success and good taste.
Eggleston's prevailing style was Art Deco. His ads, covers, calendars, and posters are made with clear lines, and numerous curves, in bright colors, decorated with geometrical shapes and floral details. His typical and probably the most well-known creation was a series with the character of Peter Pan in different dreamlike situations - portrayed as a girl in costume. His other popular motifs were Native Indians, Egyptians, and ladies in fashionable outfits. His calendars were made as posters for agencies or directly for big companies, which used them as promotional material with their logos and the addition of slips of paper with dates. The same design could be used for different years and different companies.
Today, Eggleston's calendars are considered predecessors of pin-up calendars with strong erotic charge, yet still aiming at imagination, not revealing too much.
Here are some of his calendars for you to learn and enjoy with Art Deco at its best. Ladies and gents - Edward Mason Eggleston's calendars!
All presented calendars are Public Domain in countries with 70+ years rule. You can print them and combine them with current calendars (check these free printable calendars) to create something unique with aesthetic and practical value for your walls.
