Harrison Fisher The Third Party Motoring Touring Car Art 1915 - 1992 Postcard For Sale

A 5.5x3.5" vintage Postcard from the estate of a vintage automobile postcard collector. This was part of a huge collection of antique postcards.

Photo Overview

This is "The Third Party," a Harrison Fisher illustration showing an early automobile touring party. A young man in a driving cap and duster coat studies a road map at the steering wheel of an open touring car. Two fashionable young women in motoring bonnets and goggles lean in beside him, one gazing wistfully toward the viewer. This postcard is a 1992 Evergreen Press reproduction of the original Reinthal & Newman card published around 1915.

The car is an open touring car of about 1910-1915. It has a large wooden steering wheel and deeply tufted red leather upholstery with rolled seat edges, typical of the era. The heavy dusters, bonnets and goggles worn by the passengers show how exposed early motorists were to dust and wind. The card was postally used from Syracuse, New York in November 1992 with a 19-cent fawn stamp. It carries a warm handwritten thank-you note mentioning a house tour, a trolley keepsake and a regional program. It comes from the estate of a dedicated vintage automobile postcard collector and is a nice addition to Harrison Fisher, motoring or Golden Age of Illustration collections.

Historical Notes

Harrison Fisher (1875-1934) was one of the most famous American illustrators of the early 20th century. His idealized "Fisher Girl" rivaled Charles Dana Gibson\'s "Gibson Girl" as the defining image of the modern American woman. Reinthal & Newman of New York issued hundreds of his paintings as postcards between about 1908 and 1920, and motoring subjects like "The Third Party" captured the romance of the new automobile age. Fisher painted every Cosmopolitan magazine cover from 1912 until his death in 1934. His original Reinthal & Newman cards remain highly collected today. Their popularity led to reproductions such as this Evergreen Press edition, produced for postcard enthusiasts in the late 20th century.

Text Present

Front, bottom center: "THE THIRD PARTY"

Front, lower left: "Painted by Harrison Fisher"

Front, lower right: "(c) Reinthal & Newman, N.Y."

Back, printed: "All Occasion Postcard - \'The Third Party,\' by Harrison Fisher. A reproduction of postcard published by Reinthal & Newman, circa 1915. Printed in the USA"

Back, postmark: "Syracuse NY - 10 Nov 1992"

Back, handwritten message: "Found this card and thought you\'d like it. Wanted to thank you for the wonderful house tour, the ...ville Trolley Trivet and the great program. You made my regional very special."

Print analysis

This is a modern offset-printed reproduction postcard, printed and published by The Evergreen Press. The back states that it reproduces a Reinthal & Newman card of circa 1915, and the card was postally used in 1992. It is not an original period card.

Condition

All postcards we sell are in fair to excellent vintage condition. Please see photos for any tears, folds, smudges, or other age damage that may be present.