Artist Harrison Fisher
Harrison Fisher (right) in a November 1909 issue of the Post.
Harrison Fisher was known as “Father of a Thousand Girls” for his paintings of beautiful women. He was also the father of over eighty Saturday Evening Post covers.
“Lady in Oversized Hat with Flowers” by Harrison Fisher
August 7, 1909
Where, oh where did he find these hats? Harrison Fisher (1875-1934) was the son and grandson of artists, and by the time he was six, his father was teaching him about art.
Still in his teens, Fisher became a newspaper illustrator. In the days before photography was commonplace, newspapers depicted current events and stories in black and white sketches. Soon, however, it was clear that paintings of beautiful women were his forte and he found his ladies described as successors to the Gibson Girls.
“Paisley Turban” by Harrison Fisher
May 21, 1910
Much like the Gibson Girls, the Fisher Girls were the epitome of the All-American beauty with hourglass figures, delicate facial features and rich, lustrous hair. If you could see any of this beyond those hats, that is. This gorgeous paisley turban is from a 1910 cover.
“Woman in Hat” by Harrison Fisher
October 21, 1911
She was the American Girl, and being a Fisher model was the hot job. Fisher’s models ran in high society circles, motoring with millionaires and staying at luxury mansions. But one model was especially interesting…
“Big Black Hat” by Harrison Fisher
June 29, 1912
Her name was Dorothy Gibson. The story begins with a brief career as a vaudeville singer and dancer and continues with being Harrison Fisher’s favorite model. She’ll be covered in a Post web piece next week for something else she is famed for: she was a survivor of the Titanic. Believe it or not, her story grows even more interesting.
“Coffee and Conversation” by Harrison Fisher
January 20, 1912
It may be 1912, but this hat is worthy of Lady Gaga.
It is said that with his newspapers and magazines, such as Cosmopolitan, publisher William Randolph tried to keep Fisher so busy he couldn’t work for other publications. Indeed, he did most Cosmopolitan covers — nearly 300 — between 1913 and his death in 1934. It was Cosmo that gave him his “Father of a Thousand Girls,” nickname.
“Woman in Turban” by Harrison Fisher
October 21,1911
Fisher is reported in some sources to have an exclusive contract with Cosmopolitan magazine, which is either inaccurate, or the artist found a way around it, as he did over 80 Saturday Evening Post covers between 1900 and 1915.
1 Comment
Stating the lady is in an oversized hat is putting it mildly! Regardless, she seems Gaga with it and that’s all that matters, right?
Turbans on women are generally sexy (like Lana Turner’s), but in this case, not so much. Still a great Fisher cover.
‘Woman in Hat’ is probably the most normal (for a 1911 era lady) to wear. Great cover.
In “Big Black Hat” the hat is bigger than she is. I’m looking forward to reading more about Ms. Gibson—especially with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking this month!
‘Coffee and Conversation’ is very simple yet complicated cover at the same time. I absolutely COULD picture Lady Gaga PROUDLY wearing this hat. Oh yeah. No question about it.
‘Woman in Turban’ is a great cover. It’s more Gaga than Turner, but that’s just how it is. You may never see these two women mentioned together anywhere else. Yeah, it’s pretty unlikely.