Never before ? nor since ? has there been such a dramatic and vital development in art form as that which occurred during the Golden Age of Illustration. The distinction between commercial and fine artists became non-existent, and the separation between fine art and popular art was no longer sharply defined. A new avenue of exposure was created for artists through the pages of periodicals, magazines and books. Artists now consciously directed their work towards this mass audience, developed in this very unique era.
So, what is the ?Golden Age of Illustration?? It is the period of time when the lively American and global economies and cultures demanded grandiose visual materials. The economic good times were the result of the huge post-Civil War economic and global market growth.This generated a proliferation of magazines, newspapers and novels.
The Golden Age of Illustration began in the 1880s and continued until the economic hard times of the 1920s and 1930s brought it to an end.
During this period, periodicals contained a wealth of artwork, giving the public a rich source of information and entertainment. In addition to magazine covers and posters, fiction and non-fiction was embellished with artwork. Humorous, fanciful, delicately-colored drawings of child life, enjoyed by everyone, was just one of the many enhancements made possible during this period.
However, the Golden Age of Illustration would not have become this explosive were it not for the major advancements that occurred in the sophistication of printing equipment. Prior to 1880, most graphic art in periodicals and posters was reproduced from wood engravings and was printed primarily in black and white. Wood engraving was a highly-skilled art form in itself, but it was an engraver?s interpretation of the artist?s original work.
Two major changes involving the way printing was done developed during this period which, in turn, triggered the Golden Age of Illustration. First to come was the introduction of photomechanical engraving. Then in the late 1800s, the invention of a four-color process made it possible to make color reproductions in large quantities. By 1900 color printing advanced to a point where artwork was being reproduced on magazine covers and books at a reasonable cost, and the illustration art form was taught in colleges and private schools along with traditional painting and sculpture.
These labor-saving improvements allowed publishers to pay high fees for the work of first-rate artists, which opened up a whole new world for both illustrators and traditional artists. Illustration artists were in great demand, and this became a boom time for them. Not only were they recognized for their talent, they also benefited greatly in monetary ways. The illustration artists now had the assurance that the image created would be the one that would be printed. There no longer was the engraver?s interpretation of the artist?s original work.
Many of the artists, recognized primarily as easel painters, now also created illustrations for popular periodicals. They worked in different media for separate audiences. They created easel paintings for the elite and wood-engraved magazine illustrations for the middle-class readers of mass-produced publications. Illustrators in this period were considered fine artists; they collaborated with the highly respected contemporary authors and enjoyed the respect of art critics and fellow artists.
But most CRUCIAL of all in this period of time was the development of the printing technology. (The technologists who developed this probably did not receive the credit due them, which is unfortunate.) Can you imagine how the illustration artists rejoiced over this advancement! They were now able to create in color and actually have it reproduced as they created it.
This technology would have eventually been developed, and many of the illustration artists living then were young enough to benefit. However, many of the ?greats? were near the end of their careers, so this came at the perfect time for them . . . and us. Think of what we would have lost had this not happened when it did!
We are blessed today by the wonderful works of Jessie Willcox Smith, Arthur Rackham, Warwick Goble, Howard Pyle, Edward Penfield, Leonetto Cappiello, Jules Ch?ret, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, J.C. Leyendecker, Norman Rockwell, and many others.
What an exciting time it was!
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