Poster design for Plastic Club exhibition 1898
Date1898
Artist
Bertha Corson Day
(American painter and illustrator, 1875–1968)
Illustration CitationDesign for advertising poster for The Plastic Club
MediumInk on paper
Dimensionssheet: 6 1/16 × 11 15/16 in. (15.4 × 30.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. J. Marshall Cole, 1989
Object number1989-74.24
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextThe Plastic Club was formed in 1897 as a gathering place for women artists in a city that had several such clubs for men. "Plastic" refers to the state of any unfinished work of art during the progress of its creation. The woman here is an artist, carrying her framed work and supplies as she escorts her daughter from the home in the left background. That fact that she is a mother and homemaker fits with the Club's conviction that women could fulfill more than a domestic role. Over time, the Club has included mother-daughter members.
The drawing's flat, ornate style was popular in the 1890s in posters, advertisements and similar materials.
Initially, the 130 members rented a large room at 10 S. 18th Street and sponsored monthly exhibitions, lectures, and classes.The Plastic Club is still thriving today at 247 South Camac St. Since 1991, it has accpeted male members.
