Harpers Magazine / Christmas 1892

By the 1890s, French Art Nouveau had become an international sensation, and its influence reached all the way to New York in this exquisite Christmas design by Eugene Grasset for Harper's Magazine. Among the most elaborate works of his career, it captures the moment a distinctly Parisian sensibility crossed the Atlantic to grace one of America's most prestigious publications.

Grasset's iconic redheaded muse presides over the composition, welcoming the festive season with characteristic grace. Every detail is worked with ornamental refinement - the fall of her hair, the decorative framing, the seasonal warmth of the palette - so that a simple magazine cover becomes a small jewel of decorative art. It is both an advertisement and a celebration, a herald of Christmas rendered with unmistakable European elegance. That Harper's, a great American institution, turned to a Swiss-French designer for its most festive cover says a good deal about how completely the new decorative style had captured imaginations on both sides of the Atlantic.

Eugene Grasset (1845-1917) was a Swiss-French pioneer of Art Nouveau, a designer whose decorative posters, typefaces and stained glass helped launch the entire movement. Older than many of the artists he inspired, he was a crucial bridge between nineteenth-century decorative tradition and the new graphic language that would define the Belle Epoque.

Art Nouveau swept across Europe at the turn of the twentieth century, sweeping away rigid academic convention in favour of sinuous 'whiplash' lines, botanical ornament and idealised figures. It was the movement that first turned the humble advertising poster into a genuine art form and made the city street an open-air gallery.

Displayed at scale, this print becomes a warm, seasonal focal point that reads beautifully all year round. Its rich colour and ornamental detail hold their own above a sofa, bed or console, anchor a gallery wall of mixed prints, and bring elegance and history to a living room, hallway, dining room, library or studio.

Printed to order on premium 189 gsm museum-grade archival matte paper with fade-resistant pigment inks for rich, gallery-quality colour and crisp detail. Choose your size from the drop-down menu - 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30 or 24x36 inches. Carefully packaged and shipped rolled in a sturdy tube (or flat for the smallest size); frame not included.

This is a faithful reproduction of the original lithograph - colour-matched and printed to archival standards rather than a flat mass-market copy. It preserves the texture and character of the antique poster while arriving crisp, clean and ready to frame.

A memorable gift for anyone who loves Art Nouveau, Eugene Grasset and Belle Epoque design - and a lasting way to bring a piece of decorative art history into a home, studio or workplace. Reproduced from a high-resolution scan of the original; subtle age-toning is part of its authentic historic character.