ELISHA BROWN BIRD (1867-1943) THE RED LETTER. 1896. 24 1/2x16 1/2 inches. Forbes, Boston. Condition A-: light vertical and horizontal folds; minor discoloration in margins. Japan. An architecture student at M.I.T., Bird applied his drafting skills to graphic design, working for such publications as The Inland Printer, The Chap Book, The Red Letter and The Century as well as several publishers. He designed posters advertising the magazines he worked for, books, and even a poster exhibit, and his style was agile, changing from illustrative to decorative. The Red Letter was one of the myriad small magazines that blossomed in the second half of the 1890s. This poster, for the first issue, was entitled "In the Library." It graced the cover of the first issue as well, and was advertised for sale, inside the front cover, for 25 cents. The subject matter of Pierrot reading was a recurring theme in Bird's posters, as at least two other images (one for the publisher R. H. Russell, and one for the Chap Book) also feature clowns deeply involved in their reading material. Kiehl 10, not in DFP I, Margolin p. 123.
