Maxfield Parrish

Maxfield Parrish was an American painter and illustrator famous for glowing, dreamlike images in dazzling color. Born in Philadelphia in 1870, he became one of the most popular illustrators of the early twentieth century, creating magazine covers, advertisements, and book illustrations. His scenes of gardens, castles, and youthful figures in fantastical settings enchanted a huge audience.

He was known above all for a brilliant, luminous shade of blue, sometimes called Parrish blue, and for skies that seem to glow from within. His images were reproduced as prints in enormous numbers, hanging in countless American homes. Parrish's magical, richly colored fantasy worlds have kept their appeal and influenced generations of illustrators and artists.