Breezy Co-Ed with Tennis Racket

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The artist's signature lower middle

Full Framed View

A rare surviving c. 1910 large pastel illustration by the well listed and prolific illustrator Frederick Duncan. The sporty yet flirty glamour girl co-ed with a school book and a tennis racket personifies the socially progressive, daring, and active woman who was coming into fashion as the voluptuous ideal of the Victorian woman of means waned. Works like this by Duncan, a cover artist for The Saturday Evening Post, popularized this independent, carefree vision of womanhood. Frederick Duncan is also fondly remembered for his postcard designs, commissioned illustrations for The Thos. D. Murphy Calendar Company, and stirring World War I poster designs.

Detail of sporting glamour girl

Today, Frederick Duncan's best known series might be the yardlong series titled "The Greatest Day of a Woman's Life" which depicts a wedding day from the bride's perspective. His original works are scarce despite Duncan's prolific output and varied commissions.