Harrison Fisher
1875–1934 · American illustrator known for women's figures and magazine covers
Harrison Fisher (Brooklyn, 1875 or 1877 – 1934) was an American illustrator best known for his drawings of women, which earned him acclaim as the successor of Charles Dana Gibson. His work circulated widely in magazines and posters in the early decades of the twentieth century, so he is remembered mainly as a press illustrator rather than a easel painter.
He came from a family of artists, since both his father and his grandfather worked in art. Much of his youth was spent in San Francisco, where he studied at the San Francisco Art Association and took lessons from Amédée Joullin. In 1898 he returned to New York and began working as an illustrator for newspapers and magazines, first for the San Francisco Call and the San Francisco Examiner, producing sketches and decorative work.
His covers for Cosmopolitan appeared regularly from the early 1900s until his death, and his female figures became his signature. He also painted for books, including the cover of George Barr McCutcheon's Beverly of Graustark and illustrations for Harold Frederic's The Market Place and Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men on Wheels. Together with Howard Chandler Christy and Neysa McMein, he judged the "Fame and Fortune" contest of Motion Picture Classic in 1921 and 1922, where Clara Bow was discovered.