The Postcards of Rachael Robinson Elmer

In a previous post we looked at the self-education journey of an art student named Rachael Robinson Elmer (1878-1919).

She had a lively career as an illustrator, doing advertisements and children's book illustrations until her untimely death from the 1918 flu pandemic.

She is best known for creating a line of popular postcards depicting New York City.

Her illustration work is currently being featured in an exhibition at the Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, Vermont called A Modern Artist: The Commercial Art of Rachael Robinson Elmer.

According to the museum's website:

"Exhibiting artistic talent at an early age, she was at first trained by her parents and then, as a teenager, enrolled in a correspondence course to further her skills." 

"She later studied at Goddard College and the Art Students League of New York."

"During that time she began her career as an illustrator, producing drawings for her father’s books and works for periodicals such as Forest and Stream and The Youth Companion."

"From the turn of the twentieth century until her death in 1919, Rachael built a career producing commercial art for major publishers across the United States."

"From children’s books and advertisements to her popular postcard series, Rachael Robinson Elmer was a modern artist navigating the expanding profession of commercial art."

The exhibition A Modern Artist: The Commercial Art of Rachael Robinson Elmer will be on view through October 24th.

Thanks, Courtney Clinton and John A. Gallucci