The Art Deco illustrator Coles Philipps

Coles Phillips (1880-1927) was an American and Art Deco illustrator who worked from World War I to the late 1920s. He was a pioneer : he introduced for the first time the Art Deco style into adversitings and fashion magazines. He illustrated for famous magazines like Good Housekeeping, Colliers, Life and Saturday Evening Post.
His drawings were easily recognizable : the clothes faded into the background by using the same color. The origin of this technique dated from 1908, when Coles Phillips designed a cover called “Fadeway Girl”. It was not only an artistic choice, this technique also allowed to save money by using less color inks. He inspired many illustrators like Valentine Sandberg.
Sources : americanillustration.org and Pinterest

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