{"product_id":"ride-a-stearns-and-be-content-edward-penfield","title":"Ride a Stearns and be content - Edward Penfield","description":"\u003cp\u003ePenfield's poster for Stearns bicycles uses the slogan \"Ride a Stearns and Be Content.\" It depicts a cyclist in a relaxed, confident pose, positioning the Stearns brand as a dependable, comfortable choice rather than a racing machine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistorical context\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eE.C. Stearns \u0026amp; Company of Syracuse, New York, manufactured the \"Yellow Fellow\" bicycle line, named for its distinctive yellow finish. The company competed in the crowded mid-1890s bicycle market by emphasising reliability and comfort over speed. While Orient and Columbia targeted racers, Stearns marketed to the recreational rider who wanted a pleasant ride without mechanical trouble.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePenfield's design reflects this positioning. The cyclist appears at ease rather than straining. The slogan \"Be Content\" is unusually understated for advertising of the period, suggesting quiet satisfaction rather than competitive superiority. Most bicycle advertisements of the 1890s shouted about speed records and engineering innovations; Stearns took the opposite approach, and Penfield's calm, composed figure embodies that strategy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe poster is also notable for its typography. Penfield integrated the brand name and slogan into the design as graphic elements rather than afterthoughts, an approach that anticipated modern advertising design by several decades. The Stearns name and the \"Be Content\" tagline are as carefully composed as the figure itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout Edward Penfield (1866–1925)\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOften called the father of the American poster, Penfield served as art director of Harper's Magazine from 1890 to 1901, producing over 100 cover designs during that period. His style drew on Japanese woodblock printing and the French affiche tradition: flat areas of colour, bold outlines, and minimal detail. He became one of the most recognised illustrators of the American Art Nouveau movement, and his wartime posters remain some of the most widely studied examples of early 20th-century graphic propaganda.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis fine art reproduction is printed on museum-grade stock, faithful to the original's bold colours and graphic simplicity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Edward Penfield","offers":[{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ A4 (21x29.7 cm) \/ -","offer_id":56982088089935,"sku":null,"price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ A3 (29.7 x 42  cm) \/ -","offer_id":56982091235663,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ A2 (42 x 59.4  cm) \/ -","offer_id":56982091268431,"sku":null,"price":49.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ B2 (50x70 cm) \/ -","offer_id":56982091301199,"sku":null,"price":69.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ 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